Tag Archives: weekly horoscope

Working up to Sun Square Saturn; Venus square Chiron

Planet Waves

When I was a cub newspaper reporter who whose editor happened to be an astrologer, we were involuntarily instructed in the cosmic science. Flo Higgins, editor of the Echoes-Sentinel (infamous for moonlighting as an astrologer) would stamp around the office in her high heels, informing us of the impending astrology as we wrote our missives about the goings-on in various government agencies in central New Jersey.

Planet Waves
Flo Higgins: Not taking any bullshit from Mercury.

Among her favorite aspects was what she called “Saturn square the Sun,” which she said was about Discipline! Discipline! And more Discipline! (Which translated to, keep typing! If you’re ever wondering how, where or why I learned to write five articles a day, now you know.)

What Flo meant was Sun square Saturn — when the Sun approaches Saturn at a 90-degree angle, the two form a square aspect. With the Sun in Cancer now aligning just that way with Saturn in Libra, Flo is probably expecting an extra-thorough article about the Borough of Watchung Planning Board. The aspect is exact Sunday, July 15. I am giving you extra advanced notice because it’s a good one to work with if you have any goals that seem out of the reach of your motivation.

You have more than a week to gather your energy and focus it into something meaningful. Organize the basement. Purge your files. Empty your storage shed. Do some other thing you might think is impossible.

Mercury goes retrograde the prior day, on Saturday July 14 (this was another of Flo’s favorites — she could get the entire publishing group of five newspapers worried about this one). As Mercury approaches its station retrograde (in Leo), you may have the feeling of building up to something: a goal, or a sense of urgency about time for something running out. It’s best not to take that too seriously with Mercury stationing retrograde; at a certain point you have to let the dice tumble.

This will be the next in a sequence of inner planet retrogrades whose energy has dominated nearly all of 2012. So far we’ve experienced Mars, Mercury and Venus retrograde — and now we get another ride on Mercury. When that resolves on Aug. 8, we will have a spell of no inner planet retrogrades for four whole months — which ends on Election Day in the United States (though I will come back to that).

Closer to the moment, as reported previously, Mars has entered Libra, a placement that will stir the pot in relationships. The possibilities include the burning desire to get in or out of a relationship, to establish your independence within one, and/or to see the extent your identity is invested in a partnership. it’s one thing to be invested; your identity is another matter.

At the same time, Saturday Venus forms a square to Chiron. This is more about sex and less about relationships, though it does involve the ruler of Libra, which is Venus. So there does seem to be a tipping point involved: are you making a decision of some kind? Are you making a commitment to yourself? Are you admitting what you really want? If so, you’re right on time, though the astrology doesn’t add up to a fairy-tale — more like an adventure where the author doesn’t know the outcome of the story.

 

Planet Waves

Not Exactly Bringing Good Things to Life

A Japanese parliamentary panel has declared the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a profoundly man-made disaster, in a report released this week. Both the government and the plant’s operator, Tepco, were cited with numerous deficiencies in their response to the disaster, which “could and should have been foreseen and prevented,” and its effects “mitigated by a more effective human response.”

Planet Waves

More broadly, the report notes Japanese cultural conventions, including a reluctance to question authority, as contributing factors. Mariko Oi, giving analysis for the BBC, notes that, “The panel called the disaster Made in Japan, because the mindset that allowed the accident to happen can be found across the country.” Contrary to the previous official story, the panel stated that the plant may have been damaged by the earthquake preceding the tsunami (common sense would say inevitable, with a 9 on the Richter scale).

This raises concerns over the government’s recent authorization to restart two nuclear reactors in western Japan that also sit atop a fault line. The reactors at Fukushima were GE Mark 1 designs, used extensively around the world. This was among the problems that Kurt Vonnegut was warning about in his novel Cat’s Cradle, which popped up a week before the meltdowns.

 

Planet Waves

WikiLeaks Releases Syria Files; Assange in Ecuador’s London Embassy

On Thursday whistle-blowing organization Wikileaks said that it has begun releasing “the Syria Files,” which comprise more than two million emails from Syrian political figures, ministries and associated companies, dating from August 2006 to March 2012.

Planet Waves

Syria has been the site of brutal violence against protesters (plus massacres of non-protesting civilians) since the Syrian uprising began March 15, 2011 as part of the wider Arab Spring — one of our first clear signs of the Uranus-Pluto square heating up. Protesters are demanding the end to nearly five decades of Ba’ath Party rule, currently headed by President Bashar al-Assad. According to WikiLeaks, The Syria Files shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could not attend yesterday’s press conference announcing the release of the emails because he is still inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been since just before the Cancer solstice on June 19, attempting to avoid extradition to Sweden. Assange’s supporters fear his removal to Sweden would facilitate his extradition to the U.S., where he would be prosecuted for his work with WikiLeaks. Last week, Susan Benn of the Julian Assange Defence Fund said Assange will remain inside the Ecuadorean embassy while his application for asylum is processed, stating, “Under both international and domestic U.K. law, asylum assessments take priority over extradition claims.”

Meanwhile, the head of the United Nations observer mission in Syria says violence has reached an unprecedented level in the country. On Thursday, Major General Robert Mood again called for a ceasefire to allow hundreds of monitors stationed in Syria to resume their work.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves FM: Full Moon, Mars in Libra, and Independence

Here is this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM. I posted it early to stay ahead of the holiday — and because the Full Moon was Tuesday.

Planet Waves
Eric Francis.

For those interested in a detailed written account of the Full Moon, please see Monday’s edition.

In this week’s Planet Waves FM, I look at the details on Tuesday’s Moon-Pluto occultation, followed by the Mars ingress into Libra. These events were simultaneous, in theory separated by about 20 minutes but in truth part of the same experience. There’s something here about our concept of self and the patterns of our relationships. In the first segment I look at some of the possibilities.

After a song break, I go over the Full Moon chart — that was at 2:52 pm Tuesday. The Full Moon resonates with the Uranus-Pluto square, as well as rings bells throughout the sky. Venus, Chiron, Pallas Athene and Mercury (among other points) are involved in the aspect structure.

I also look at the Sibly chart — the main July 4th USA chart. If you would like to see the chart, you can browse this subscriber edition of Planet Waves (please note my misspelling of Sibly on the horoscope — there is no ‘e’ in the name). We are still in ‘going through changes’ mode as Pluto and Uranus make aspects to many planets in the USA chart, including the big ones — when Pluto opposes the USA Sun as Uranus squares it (that’s around 2014).

Last, I read the Declaration of Independence. It’s not that long — and it’s pretty darned interesting. In case you’re having a weekend July 4th party tomorrow, the recording is in a separate file so you can blast it from your iPhone’s PA system.

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

 

Planet Waves


Friday, July 6, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #909 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Cancer Birthdays this Week (also valid for Cancer rising)

The essence of your life right now is about learning to trust the unseen. You may be asking, how can I do that, if I can’t see it? The answer to this question is spiritual development. There’s a psychological element to this, which is about developing an understanding of who you are, which involves discovering what you didn’t know before — and this is one element of the ‘unseen’. There’s an emotional element, which is about knowing what you feel and having some sense of why you feel that way. Then there’s a mystical element, which is about making friends with the vast cosmos you contain, and the many possibilities that hints at. Now, if you’re wondering what I could possibly mean by ‘vast cosmos’, I would propose you have little to lose by trusting that statement, and then pointing your attention inward to see what’s in there. You will find a mix of contradictions — and a marvelous way that they resolve themselves into something more beautiful.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — If you get the feeling that someone close to you feels like they’re in a burning building, don’t be so surprised. To them, you’ve felt restless and agitated for as long as they can remember. Therefore, I suggest you keep your mind open to what someone close to you needs or wants. Any consideration of equality or balance needs to be considered on a long-term basis: this story has a history. Meanwhile, even in your day-to-day contacts with people, you may notice that they are being more assertive with you. I suggest you keep your cool. As the next few weeks unfold, you may notice that the assertive or aggressive energy coming in your direction gradually ramps up. The only thing you can control is your response, and that will count for a lot; you have the power to defuse, diffuse or clear up any situation with the quality of your response and your state of mind. The less reactive you are, the less reactive others will be.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You now have access to a truly unusual quality of communication, where you can be direct without being pushy. That’s coming from a deeper place than your feelings or your mind; you have available a level of confidence that comes from taking ownership of what you’re learning. Let me say that another way. You’re starting to feel intelligent in a new way, like you have deeper knowledge available to you. That’s the direct product of self-knowledge. It’s also the product of getting some relief from your age-old conflict about what you want, and what is true for you. Now you can explore based on your increased depth of knowledge and confidence. The next few days offer you an experiment to explore what you want, regardless of any hesitation you may have felt in the past. You can go a little (or a lot) further out on a limb, particularly with what you open up and allow yourself to feel. As you do, keep your focus. You’re in an excellent position to use what you know — and you’ll benefit from doing so.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You’re at a peak of sexual power right now — which may be granting you some unusual charisma in every other area of your life. Your chart suggests you can have any fun you want, including access to people you might never have imagined possible. There’s just one caveat: impeccability with your words, and how they express your feelings. It’s not enough ‘to be honest’. What you want is to be precise. Your charts are so potent right now that you run the risk of not caring what other people might feel, how they might respond to you, or whether you will have exactly the influence you want. Yet if you honor the need for that precision, you will avoid most or all of the negative effects that can arrive when sexual energy is exchanged, or political power is used. Your longterm reputation is at stake, which is not a caution against having some serious fun; rather, it’s about making sure that fun is beneficial to everyone.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Gemini birthday reading is ready! Click here for an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Mars has changed signs into your solar 4th house — the one associated with your security base and living environment. This is an excellent time to get control over your physical spaces — though while you’re doing that, it’s also time to consider the issue of safety within your physical spaces. Let’s take that concept as a full-spectrum idea. This includes the emotional dimension and the quality of communication you have with anyone who so much as enters your private space. It includes doing a check for toxic substances: I recommend a purge of your garage, storage closets and under-sink areas. Every one of those products is more dangerous than you think. Mostly though I suggest you consider whether you are emotionally and sexually free. You may be feeling a push in this direction — and you may encounter some resistance, whether it’s from within yourself or whether it comes from a relationship partner. Follow your instincts, and understand what any resistance is really about.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Cancer birthday reading is ready! It includes more than hour of astrology plus a tarot reading, and has been wildly popular (also great for Cancer rising people). Use this link to order.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The Sun is about to make one of its two annual square aspects to Saturn, and this is about focus and discipline. You don’t need to pour it on all at once; over the next week, gradually gather your energy and set a few clear goals. I suggest these goals be a little more ambitious than you think you can accomplish. I recognize you’ll be doing this at what is a pleasantly social time of your life, and you value the company of the people around you. That’s where discipline comes in — and not giving in to peer pressure (for example, someone randomly accusing you of ‘working too much’). In fact there is time for everything, if you keep your priorities in order. Meanwhile there are certain people in your environment who will be supportive and available to help, particularly with ideas they’ve thought through so well that you’ll both be surprised by how useful they are.

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

 



Planet Waves


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I trust that it comes as a relief that Mars has left your sign. If you’ve been wondering why you were going through what you were going through since November, this transit may not account for that though it vividly describes the feeling of having to question every dimension of your existence. You’ve had to examine every element of what you want and why you want it. Said another way, you’ve been through what I can describe as an integrity check, which has included stress testing, investigating your health, and most of all, figuring out that it’s correct for you to want what you want. Now, your mission is to trust what you’ve learned. You may be moving from a place of having gathered considerable confidence in yourself to one where you may be more ambivalent — though if you call your mind present and remember how hard you’ve worked to learn what you’ve learned, that ambivalence will be meaningless.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You may be noticing an exaggeration effect: of desire, need, restlessness or any other focused emotion. You may be feeling more independent than usual. If you do, be aware of your environment. You are surrounded by forces much larger than you are. It’s not that you cannot move, flow or dance with them — you just need to be conscious of what you’re doing, which includes what you’re thinking. You are an autonomous person, though currently this has some limits on it that are calling for a disciplined approach to life. If you start to experience resistance, tension or blowback from your environment, I suggest you rein yourself in a little and investigate why that might be happening. It’s true that certain people in your environment are the ones who seem reactive, though this is a dynamic response of two forces responding to one another. What is the cause and what is the effect? In your life, you’re the primary cause.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — The sky is the perfect setup for fantasy scenarios — that is, as long as they don’t involve Cinderella and Prince Charming. Recent changes in the astrology are opening the door for you to explore fantasies that transgress what you normally do, or deem acceptable. A partner, lover or friend may be considering the same kinds of experiments that have been running through your imagination. One question is: who should lead the way? I will say this: the astrology strongly suggests that women or those with a strong feminine orientation are feeling particularly bold, though not saying much about it. If that’s you, I suggest you speak up. If you’re in a position to influence someone else, set up the situation so they can state what they want openly. The free will factor is important, as conscious choice is going to be the basis of feeling safe and secure enough to act on some truly unusual and adventurous desires. The key through all experiments is keeping communication open.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Others close to you may seem to have all the advantages, though you have a lot you can learn from them. You’re also seeing your own potential reflected in the choices they make and the ways which their lives are improving. I suggest that you guide your energy toward the healing needs you’ve been identifying and working with in recent years, using this moment to commit to going deeper into your most pressing life questions. You may find that certain close partners are both willing and knowledgeable enough to guide you through certain levels of yourself that you’re less than comfortable with. One pressing question is the way that family dynamics manifest in your life, particularly when you find yourself in a group of people. In a word, this is about trust. While you may have the idea that you can go it alone, that’s not really true, though everything depends on your ability to trust both yourself and others, in that order.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Express your leadership skills in moderation. You will seem bossier to others than you feel within yourself. In your own mind, you’re just doing your job and fulfilling your mission. To others you may seem to be swaggering, arbitrary and even unfair. Therefore, make a habit of being diplomatic. If you’re making a decision that influences others, make sure that you get their input, and offer them some evidence that you’ve considered it carefully. The thing to emphasize is fairness, and remember that what’s fair in your mind may not be so in the perception of others. This is why you want a collaborative effort, even if you’re in a leadership position where you get to be the one who makes the final decision. You may have the upper hand today, but you will need allies in the not-so-distant future, during a phase of your life when your negotiation skills will count for a lot. So I suggest you make a point of refining them now.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Your faith in yourself seems to inflate and deflate like a balloon, though at the moment it’s building rapidly. I suggest you focus this through your work, and by that I mean the next phase of your work that’s unfolding. Now, ‘work’ may be the wrong word here; the feeling is more like an erotic craving to do or accomplish something, as if your happiness depends on it. So this isn’t work in the sense of effort, but rather connecting a deep desire to the focus you need in order to accomplish it. Don’t worry about whether you can do it; the thing your happiness actually depends upon is your willingness to take the chance. The conditions are such right now that you have the combination of raw desire, a good idea and the discipline to go at it every day. Try this for a while and see where you end up. Remember that creative impulses need a lot of guidance on this plane of reality, which includes deflecting any opinions contrary to what you want.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You can trust what you’re feeling, even (and especially) if it’s coming from below. A rare mix of factors is inviting you to feel not only safe, but free, in experiencing and expressing your deepest passions. I suggest that you use multiple outlets for what you’re thinking and feeling: for example, physical, visual and in words. Of the three, words are likely to be the most expressive and helpful. What’s happening to you is that an emotional element of self-acceptance is slipping into place. You know who you are, and who you’re becoming; now you’re feeling your state of peace with that. Part of this is reaching a deep sense of peace with how different you are. It’s one thing to be different and another to feel content and confident being so. Though certain elements of your inner reality and your outer one don’t necessarily seem to match up right now, that tension itself is presenting you with a truly interesting form of inner harmony.

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

With Love from the Heritage Foundation

Dear Friend and Reader:

When a friend in her 20s had Hodgkin’s disease a few years ago, she spent part of her life puking into a bucket, part of it plugged into chemotherapy, and the rest of her time fighting her health insurance company, which was constantly trying to cancel her coverage.

Planet Waves
Under his philosophy of “guns and butter,” Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare into law on July 30, 1965. This was the most recent successful attempt to expand health care for Americans, an effort that has gone back to the administration of FDR. White House photo.

She got well and then had a relapse — and then her insurance company tried to cancel her for having a “pre-existing condition.” They didn’t get away with it, and she has made a full recovery (and has managed to graduate nursing school).

This week, the Supreme Court, by a vote of 5 to 4, affirmed the legitimacy of a law that is intended to prevent just that kind of vicious conduct by insurers. What happened this week is a lot bigger than medicine or medical insurance, but let’s start there.

The state of health care and health insurance in the United States is an utter disgrace. It’s a national shame though in truth it’s a global shame, and I don’t use that word lightly. It is scandalous that people in the United States can lose their life savings in a week merely because they get sick — particularly when you consider how much profit how many companies are making specifically from poisoning us.

In the United States, we have a series of patchwork government health care systems, each of which covers a different constituency: veterans, the elderly, the poor, the disabled, those between jobs, and a few others. Yet many people fall between the cracks, especially if they’re self-employed or if their job doesn’t carry benefits through a private carrier.

We all know that reforms are needed, but it’s worth asking if they are even possible; if ‘health’ or ‘care’ can come from a system so invested in profits that there is very little room for any real ideas about what will help us. Most of the solutions to health issues involve prevention, which is not profitable to people selling $5,000 rides through the CT scan. GE makes many of those machines and is close to holding the world record for how many people one company has given cancer to.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), the 2010 law that was the first attempt to overhaul how medical resources are distributed since the 1960s passage of Medicare in 1965, notably, during the Uranus-Pluto conjunction. The law was adopted in late 2009 (and signed by Pres. Obama in 2010) with a supermajority of the Senate voting in favor (a nearly-impossible 60 votes, on such a contentious issue). Does everyone remember Robert Byrd being wheeled into the chambers to cast his vote — one of the last of his long political life?

Planet Waves
In 1993, Bill Clinton proposed that all Americans would have a Health Security Card, a form of universal health coverage. The initiative failed miserably and was not resurrected until the Obama administration got the ACA through congress in late 2009. Official photo.

Among other provisions, the law includes the requirement for insurers not to reject people on the basis of pre-existing conditions; that there be no cap on payouts; that children and young adults in the families of insured parents be included up to the age of 26. These provisions help straighten out some of the most serious issues of our health insurance system, which is a strictly for-profit enterprise.

In response, 26 states sued the federal government in an attempt to block the law. When any state is a party to litigation, the Constitution says that the Supreme Court has original jurisdiction, and that’s how the issue ended up there.

In its decision Thursday, the Supreme Court upheld nearly every key provision of the law, including the mandatory involvement of nearly all Americans in the insurance pool (called the ‘mandate’, or mandatory coverage provision). There are still some people who will be left out, though at this point I don’t understand how that would work. The net effect would be a massive broadening of the insurance pool, including about 30 million people who are currently left out of the system.

Before we get too excited about this, I would remind you of something. The law that passed, and that the Supreme Court upheld, is not the one that liberals wanted. It’s not the one that many aware and informed people wanted — that was something else, called single payer. That is the government, per se, serving as the insurance pool, as it does with Medicare. Medicare seems to work pretty well, and it could be expanded to cover everyone.

Many other countries have what is called a single-payer system, which many people, including some entities in the medical industry, have been advocating. These systems don’t work perfectly, but at least everyone can get into the system — not just the relatively wealthy, the poor or specific constituencies (as in the United States).

Planet Waves
Leaning forward: Willard ‘Mitt’ Romney spoke of the ‘personal responsibility principle’ when advocating for mandatory involvement in the Massachusetts health care program, which is functionally identical to ‘Obamacare’. Now, he pretends he didn’t support the policy that works so well. But what choice does he have? Photo: Think Progress.

When we talk about universal coverage, this is something that actually fits the description. When I was a resident of France, overstaying my tourist visa on a regular basis, I was eligible for a government health care card, no questions asked. That is universal coverage.

What we got with the ACA was something that came from the lunatic fringe of the right wing. It was either formulated or advanced by the Heritage Foundation, the same think tank that gave us abstinence-only sexual indoctrination (instead of sex ed, teaching kids to just say no till you’re married — which doesn’t work). Heritage Foundation picked up the issue in response to Pres. Clinton proposing the Health Security system, under which everyone would have been covered.

The concept being pushed by the Heritage Foundation was to privatize the whole business: to keep it in the hands of corporations, that is, the insurance industry. The critique of ACA as something that seems designed to loot the public and enrich the insurance companies has a basis in truth and is therefore a valid critique. The money is going into a for-profit enterprise that has not demonstrated it has the interests of people at heart. Fortunately the law has some provisions that protect the insured.

However, even Noam Chomsky, the Papa Smurf of the American left, has said that mandatory coverage is an essential step in the direction of universal coverage, because the system has to be funded. The way this works is, if you don’t buy into the system, you have to pay a small tax. Mitt Romney himself advocated the mandatory buy-in when he was governor of Massachusetts, and an identical program was put in place under his leadership — something he avoids talking about. He called it the “personal responsibility principle.” He can argue against it now, but Romney does have that problem of never seeming to agree with himself.

And, that said, from what I am hearing, the ‘mandatory’ part of the buy-in has no teeth. If you don’t get health insurance, you’re taxed $95 (for not having insurance) the first year. As I understand it, there is not an enforcement provision to collect the tax if you don’t have insurance. I don’t know enough to fully sort this out, however, here is a basic look at the legal aspects of this issue from SCOTUS Blog.

Planet Waves
Coming out from behind the conservative colors, Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal bloc of the Supreme Court. Photo by Mark Wilson.

There’s a lot else to sort out, though whatever else may be going on, I am grateful there are now federal laws that prevent insurers from dumping their clients when they need coverage the most.

What is the most interesting is that a solidly conservative Supreme Court, the same one that gave us the Citizens United case that has turned our elections into a game of how much unregulated money can be heaped onto a candidate, sided with Obama and the then-Democratic majority of Congress. And it was Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by George W. Bush in 2005, who provided the swing vote, siding with the liberal bloc of the court. (Usually Roberts votes with the conservatives and Anthony Kennedy provides the swing vote).

It’s not clear why he did this. Many are certain it was political maneuvering, to show that the court is not strictly partisan (and there is a caution in the astrology that what happened Thursday was a form of chicanery, which I will cover in that section).

Some are daring to consider the idea that he did what he thought was the right thing. This is part of why Supreme Court justices are appointed for lifetime terms: it’s supposed to insulate them from political manipulation and gives them a measure of independence. However this also preserves the legacy of presidents who get to appoint a lot of justices, no matter how bad it is.

Writing for the majority, Roberts said, “We do not consider whether the Act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation’s elected leaders. We ask only whether Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact the challenged provisions.” Well, any 5th grader who took civics could tell you that, though I am not sure that’s taught too many places any more.

This decision is, however, something that reshuffles the deck of American politics — particularly the divisive-for-its-own-sake kind of politics that we’ve seen since the fraudulent Clinton impeachment. As one of my friends who observes Washington politics from inside the Beltway wrote to me yesterday, “This was definitely unusual, unexpected, and out-of-the-ordinary.”

Our Moment of Astrology

Let’s take a look at the charts and see what they say. There are two to work with: one for the signing of the bill into law by Pres. Obama in 2010, and the other for the release of the Supreme Court’s decision Thursday morning. These are both what you can think of as hot charts — loaded with energy and describing something controversial.

Planet Waves
Chart for the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law. Notice the Moon rising in the early degrees of Cancer — and the grand cardinal cross. For a larger version of the charts used in this article, use this link. Or use you can see grossly oversimplified charts that will help you see the aspects more clearly. Keep an eye on the cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn — which connect to the Aries Point and the Uranus-Pluto square.

Of necessity, this will be a slightly more technical discussion than you usually read here, though I will keep things as basic as possible and intersperse the astrology with interpretation.

The upshot is that there’s something a lot bigger going on than one law or one Supreme Court decision. As befits the astrology of the week (or is it the century?) — the Uranus-Pluto square, and Venus stationing direct after the extremely rare transit event earlier in the month — we’re talking about something with far-reaching effects, and which has tipped the balance of power in a way that absolutely nobody predicted. Wednesday night, most supporters of ACA thought they were going to lose, and most opponents thought they had victory locked up by a right-leaning Supreme Court.

That unpredictability factor is the Uranus piece of the Uranus-Pluto square. Whenever Uranus is in the equation, you can expect the unexpected. And whenever Uranus and Pluto are working together (which is not that often), that’s an indication of progress or at the very least significant change. Keep that in mind as part of the background. Also remember that Sunday’s exact contact of the Uranus-Pluto square was the first of seven of them that will happen through March 2015 — so this is only the beginning.

Interestingly, an asteroid associated with law and politics — Pallas Athene — is exactly conjunct Uranus right now, meaning that it’s functioning as part of the Uranus-Pluto square. Pallas plus Uranus = something unpredictable or even shocking in politics; square Pluto = an evolutionary moment of some kind. Recently in Daily Astrology, I wrote:

It requires awareness and foresight to work productively and positively with what Uranus brings, since the energy can throw you off center. With Pluto rumbling through the foundations of our lives (personal and cultural/institutional) and Uranus/Prometheus potentially hiding a little fire up its sleeve, where might Pallas Athene channel all that energy?

Well, a quest for justice. One sector to watch is the U.S. Supreme Court, which happens to have so many pending cases they are considering extending the current term by a few days.

The justices are due to release a number of decisions on high-profile cases fairly soon (June is one of their scheduled times to do that). Two of the best known are the Arizona immigration law and the 2010 health care plan derisively called “Obamacare” (which should be called Heritage Foundation Care, since it was invented by them and not by Obama) by those seeking to reinforce the negative connotations attached to Medicare — and bring the president down with both.

Now, it’s possible that the justices of SCOTUS could surprise us with their inventiveness. This does not necessarily mean their inventiveness will be progressive, however.

Inventiveness is precisely what we got, though in the form of what we’re being told is something progressive.

To learn more, let’s go back to the pivotal chart for this issue: the signing of the Affordable Care Act into law by Pres. Obama. That is the chart above; use this link for a larger version of the two charts used in this article. Here is the grossly oversimplified version. It will open in a new browser window.

Planet Waves

As you look at these charts, keep an eye on activity on the cardinal cross — Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. That’s the scene of the Uranus-Pluto square; it’s also the full-contact Aries Point: the cross in the horoscope that’s the intersection between the individual and the collective, or as I used to call it, the personal and the political.

When the Aries Point is hot, which means when there is anything significant happening on the first degree of Aries, in the early degrees of that sign or in the early cardinal signs, we see this kind of political development that influences something deeply personal. It can also manifest as the feeling of the world crashing into the living room. News events lose their abstract feeling and start to feel like they actually influence our lives.

If you look at the early degrees of the cardinal signs in the chart for the signing of the ACA, we find that they are ALL occupied, and angular: for the signing chart, the Moon in Cancer is rising (that’s the little gray crescent at the left side of the chart). Pluto in Capricorn is setting (the red golf tee to the far right of the chart). The Sun in Aries is highly elevated (right at the top of the chart), and Saturn is in early Libra (exactly opposite the Sun).

The cardinal grand cross would be plenty — though it has even more impact with the ascendant involved, which is ramping up the energy. The Cancer Moon is in an astonishingly close opposition to Pluto in Capricorn — take a look at the numbers.

Even the fast-moving Part of Fortune gets into the game, making a square to the Moon and Pluto. While some less imaginative astrologers would say this portends something bad, I would say it hints at something big that’s going to influence a lot of people. This is particularly true given that the Moon is an astrological significator for ‘the public’ and Pluto for ‘the masses’.

Planet Waves
Simplified chart for the signing of the ACA (same chart data as above), emphasizing the cardinal grand cross (which aligns with the Moon on the far left of the chart). For a larger version of the charts used in this article, use this link. Or use you can see grossly oversimplified charts that will help you see the aspects more clearly. Jupiter is the orange 4-like symbol at the top of the chart, leaning slightly toward the right.

Yet because it is rising and involved with the early cardinal degrees (the Aries Point) this is the chart saying loud and clear, “It’s about you. And everyone — but it’s about you.” Remember that the Moon moves quickly (one degree in two hours) and the ascendant ticks along extremely fast — one degree every four to five minutes. So this is one of those charts that’s ALL about the exact time.

Just a couple of other points before we go to the next chart. Do you see that little orange ‘4’ high up in the full chart, toward the right side, next to the dark line? The dark line is the 10th house cusp. The 4 is Jupiter, which is in its rulership — Pisces.

You don’t need to do the calculations to know that this is the strongest planet in the chart, based on being in its rulership, in direct motion and so close to the 10th house cusp.

The Moon comes in a close second, in its rulership (Cancer) and right in the ascendant. This is a ridiculously potent chart, drawing on a lot of emotional energy for its impact. It presents the image that ‘the government is supposed to do good things’ (Jupiter in the 10th) and ‘take care of people’ (Moon in Cancer rising).

The 10th is the sign of the government and of big corporations. It’s also the house that includes the president personally. Jupiter here could mean one of two things: the government or the president did something beneficial; or something happened that was good for the government and corporations. Both could be true. I think that any time big companies benefit from government policy, the issue is worth watching carefully. We are, however, in a rare moment — part of the Uranus-Pluto cycle — one which historically is about a pushback against regressive policies.

One last thing. Just to the right of Jupiter is an orange key (which is Chiron) and a blue trident (which is Neptune). The two are close together — that’s a conjunction. This was the momentous Chiron-Neptune conjunction, in late Aquarius. That alone is significant; it’s is an extremely rare aspect. But look at the next chart and see where those degrees appear — right on the horizon line known as the descendent. We will come back to that in half a moment.

Here is the chart for the Supreme Court’s decision Thursday. We are fortunate to have a time for this; I’ve never seen another Supreme Court decision timed to the minute, but thanks to SCOTUS Blog, we have one, set for 10:07 am.

Planet Waves
Chart for the ruling on the ACA by the Supreme Court. The late degree ascendant can be seen on the far left side of the chart, marked by the number 29. The Sun (yellow circle on upper left) is opposite Pluto (red golf tee) and square Uranus (blue H). This is a chart with a lot of energy — and it represents a large struggle behind the scenes, as well as the possibility for progress. For a larger version of the charts used in this article, use this link. Or use you can see grossly oversimplified charts that will help you see the aspects.

Let’s start at the beginning of the chart — the ascendant. Ascendant is the exact degree of the rising sign — and in this case it’s 29+ Leo — properly called the 30th degree: the end. We know from lots of experience that the last two degrees of a sign are the scene of the interesting, the strange and the unusual. What happened yesterday definitely qualifies as such. A late rising degree also indicates something that doesn’t fully have a grip in reality, though the ascendant being in fixed sign Leo helps compensate for that a bit.

Notice that there’s a point in the ascendant, right on the line — that hot pink circle with the slash through it. That’s called Transpluto. It’s a hypothetical point — it doesn’t exist except in the minds of astrologers and in astrology programs. It’s hypothetical but it’s real. It’s sometimes delineated as relating to narrowness, criticism and self-critique; I look at it as focus and specificity. Lynn Koiner associates it strongly with independence and self-sufficiency.

Transpluto moves extremely slowly and is not well understood by astrologers. Nearly everyone alive has it in Leo. It’s now in a three-year process of changing signs to Virgo, which I will get to in another story. For now, think of Transpluto as being in transition from a sign about self to a sign about collective responsibility.

This placement doesn’t warm my heart. It’s hardly the Moon in Cancer rising; Transpluto in Leo is all about the rugged individualism that Americans love to hallucinate about (often while on the way to the bank, cashing their government check). Transpluto here also feels like something was forced through a very small opening. Note, this chart is all of two minutes from being Virgo rising. But it’s still Leo rising. The Sabian symbol for that last degree of Leo is “an unsealed letter,” meaning that the truth cannot be concealed forever; eventually the envelope is opened. This is a cue to be on the lookout for the specifics of what is in that envelope.

Across the dial, we have the last degree of Aquarius on the 7th house cusp — the relationship angle, the environment, ‘the other’. The 7th cusp or the descendent is exactly aligned with Chiron/Neptune from the signing chart. In a sense, it’s describing the topic — which directly involves Chiron, significant in all aspects of healing.

Notice that both of these planets are now in Pisces, however. (In the last chart they were still in Aquarius, making their slow transition to the next sign.) Neptune on the 7th house of a mundane chart is a caution about fraud. It’s not a guarantee — though it suggests that plenty is going on behind the scenes here, that is, plenty that’s invisible and that you might need special glasses to see. Neptune often points to the obvious thing we’re looking right at but cannot see for what it is. It’s retrograde, making the issue even more slippery.

Planet Waves
The Supreme Court is one branch of government that few people understand. Its inner processes are secretive, its members are appointed for life, and they wear black Masonic robes. Oh, and its decisions influence every American citizen to a surprising degree. This is the official portrait for 2012.

Chiron is standing guard right there. For a while, we have protection from some of the less savory influences of Neptune in Pisces due to Chiron’s presence there. Chiron’s message is always some version of Pay Attention. Chiron, for its part, is in a spotlight. The Sun — the ruler of the Leo ascendant — is about to trine Chiron, making it fully involved in this chart. (Centaur fans, also notice that Nessus is in Aquarius, lurking in very light blue right below the horizon — that’s an additional caution of mischief or a scheme at work.)

The Sun’s placement is where the chart gets really, really interesting. The Sun (as we’ve been writing about all week in Daily Astrology) is aligned with the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto square. In the decision chart, the Sun is square Uranus/Pallas and opposite Pluto. The Sun — especially powerful because it’s the ruler of the rising sign Leo — is all mixed up in the revolutionary nature of the moment. The Sun represents the president and leaders in general, and there’s a clue here that people in this role are succumbing to forces much larger than themselves.

The Sun opposite Pluto suggests, however, that there is a titanic battle going on behind the scenes. Health care and health insurance are only the surface. We have a lot of problems to solve in the United States and indeed the Land of the One World Government. I would note that neither the problem nor the solution is political, despite appearances. They are not economic. At essence they are spiritual issues.

One last point. The Moon in this chart is what’s called ‘void of course’. The Moon is making no more aspects to planets before it changes signs to Scorpio, which is a bit dark in a chart about health care. A void Moon is like the ball is out of play. That can mean several things, one of which is: what you just witnessed was a meaningless exercise, or was intended as such. Another is: be aware you have no idea the real outcome here. (The Moon was void in the chart for the Sept. 11 incident, and for Obama’s inauguration, to give two examples from recent history.)

That said, the political system moved today. The nation’s highest court — assailed for being hopelessly conservative — affirmed the constitutionality of a law passed by a congress that was then controlled by Democrats. In politics, anyway, that is a watershed moment.

As Pluto moves through Capricorn, taking a series of seven squares from Uranus, one question we have to ask is: what is the role of government? Is it to wage wars, or to help people? We have to decide that, and to influence the outcome however we can — principally by refusing to be ignorant, and second, by speaking up.

My take on this chart is that it’s about actual change, which could even be progress despite all the caution in these charts. The ‘progress insurance’ is the Uranus-Pluto square, which pretty dependably pushes events forward, at least for a while.

I recognize that we are accustomed to living in a world where everything always seems to get dependably worse — though that’s not really true. Moments of change are moments of opportunity to work with the energy of change, and that’s a conscious act, not something that ‘happens to us’. The dark overlords know that — it’s high time we figured it out too.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

PS — Subscribers please note a schedule update. Due to the July 4 holiday next week, Planet Waves will be on a reduced schedule. We will publish the Moonshine Horoscope on Tuesday morning, and a horoscope-only edition on Friday morning. Don’t miss my reading of the Declaration of Independence in Wednesday’s edition of Planet Waves FM.

 

Planet Waves

Cancer Birthday Reading is Ready!

Hello Cancer Sun, Moon and rising folk — and happy birthday to Cancer Sun readers.

The Cancer 2012-2013 birthday report is now available. This is a detailed reading of transits as they influence your sign, with a focus on career and relationships — and a special focus on home and security base. It accounts for certain factors going out as far as 2014 that begin to have an influence starting in July.

Planet Waves
Photo by Sarah.

This is an excellent astrological product covering the transits you’ve been reading about in Planet Waves, including the Uranus-Pluto square, the Saturn-Eris opposition, Mars changing signs and the conclusion of Venus retrograde.

I also include a reading with the Voyager Tarot by James Wanless — cross-checking the astrology with the Tarot with some surprising results. The product includes photos of the Tarot spread, the chart, and access to last year’s reading so you can both review and check its accuracy against the events of your life.

If you have never tried one of my birthday readings, we’re so confident it will be helpful that we offer a full guarantee of your purchase. My intention is to make this the most worthwhile $19.95 you’ve ever spent on an astrology product, and I put the best of my talent into the work.

Note, this report is substantially different from the 2012 annual (Revolution. Revelation. Reality Check.) written with six months’ extra perspective and covering many other themes.

Here is your link to order.

This report will be effective and timely for Cancer rising and Moon readers as well. For other signs, we have a page that lists all of my birthday products for the past year or so.

Thank you for your business. Please let me know how you like the reading.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Subscribers please note a schedule update. Due to the July 4 holiday next week, Planet Waves will be on a reduced schedule. We will publish the Moonshine Horoscope on Tuesday morning, and a horoscope-only edition on Friday morning. Don’t miss my reading of the Declaration of Independence in Wednesday’s edition of Planet Waves FM.

 

Planet Waves

Capricorn Full Moon: Slather On the Aries Point Please!

The next big event in the sky is the Capricorn Full Moon. This is the Moon opposing the Cancer Sun, just in time for the July 4 holiday in the United States (which commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence). This occurs synchronously with a number of other events, all of which spark up the Uranus-Pluto square and keep the focus on the Aries Point. That’s another way of saying: count yourself into the story. Why be dragged along by the brutal, crushing movement of society when you can jump in and play the game? Or maybe you just want to jump out of the game — and it might actually be a good week for that.

Planet Waves
You will need Aries Point lotion this week, with all the action on the cardinal cross. Note, please tell your dog not to do this — he or she will be considered a sex offender.

Anyway, this is quite the chart for the solar return of the United States, and it’s probably going to be a pretty interesting week. The Capricorn Full Moon is exact at 2:52 pm EDT on Tuesday, July 3. The Full Moon is still close enough to the Uranus-Pluto square (just four degrees away) to fire that up with full force.

It’s so close indeed that just a few hours before the Full Moon, we have the latest (fourth, I think) Moon-Pluto occultation, part of a series of events that are helping define our era. The last one was part of the Venus transit; it’s been a month since that happened. The occultation happens at 8:11 am EDT on Tuesday, July 3.

Then Mars ingresses Libra at 8:31 am EDT July 3. Mars has been in Virgo since November, including making a long retrograde in that sign over the winter. This is a shift in the energy — Mars moving from a slow, mentally oriented mutable sign into a faster vibration cardinal sign. Ingressing Libra, Mars opposes the Aries Point, and it opposes Uranus, and it squares Pluto — meaning a few things. One is that now Mars is activating the Uranus-Pluto square. Also this is a caution to beware of power struggles, especially in personal relationships.

All three of these are one synchronous event: Capricorn Moon occulting Pluto, Mars ingressing Libra and the Capricorn Full Moon.

However, before this happens, through the weekend we have the Moon spending most of its time in Scorpio. It will oppose Vesta and Sedna in Taurus. The Scorpio Moon can be lusty and passionate, though with Vesta and Sedna involved, there is an element of detachment. I suggest you make contact with people who are willing to go there with you, rather than trying to get that contact from people who are not interested.

Planet Waves
Capricorn Full Moon on July 3, set for Washington, DC.

All of this is happening with Mars in the last degrees of Virgo, which may be setting off some of the most sensitive planets in your chart. Then Mars changes signs, leaving a whole phase of our lives behind. Remember what you learned about healing, and healing anger and desire in these months.

The Libra ingress will present a test of how well you did; you may need to re-focus on healing, as hidden material comes to the surface in relationships. The key here is balance, and seeing both sides of the story.

Mars in Libra tends to go one of two ways: flying off in anger, or easy-going and enthusiastic. With all the tension and rumbling energy in the air from Uranus-Pluto, plus the polarization of waxing Moon, this sounds like a good time to pause, weigh your options, use your inside voice, and try to notice not only when you’re feeling emotionally triggered, but to really check how deep/old the reaction’s roots are. I know this is asking a lot if you’re about to bite someone’s head off, but it will be worth pausing.

Meanwhile, that series of Moon-Pluto occultations is wearing away something, and Uranus-Pluto is shaking things up. With the Cancer Sun in opposition and square to these, there’s a lot of sensitivity that people might not know what to do with. The easy answer is to lash out at those closest to us, those in our homes — whether literal or figurative homes, material or cyber. It’s also easy to become obsessive, and to feel at the mercy of powers larger than yourself.

If you’re feeling anger, deal with it constructively, and make sure you direct it as gently as possible, in the right direction. Are you really lashing out at your mother when you yell at your roommate, Facebook friend, lover or boss? Perhaps you’d be better served by a good therapy session, some hands-on activism, or some really hot sex. Check which of these options is open to you.

Note: Mars making aspects to Uranus and Pluto is astrology associated with accidents. Make sure you drive gently, with intention, and most of all, in sober, alert condition. If your holiday plans are still open, I suggest that less driving is better next week, and if you must, be as conscious and professional behind the wheel as you want your airline pilot to be handling a 737.

More details starting Sunday night in Daily Astrology & Adventure.

 

Planet Waves

Seafood, but Not Fish, Declared Safe; Forest of No Chirp

In a move seemingly designed to protect the local fishing industry from terminal collapse, Japanese authorities have today allowed the sale of octopus and whelk caught near the scene of last year’s nuclear meltdown following the tsunami which devastated Fukushima. Octopus and whelk, a marine snail, are invertebrate and showed no detectable amounts of radioactive substances. Fish such as sea bass and flounder, however, were not approved for sale due to contamination from radioactive caesium. Many people have bought the produce to show their support for the industry, according to an official in charge of sales at the fishing co-operative in Soma city. “I was filled with both uncertainty and hope today, but I was so happy when I found out the local supermarket had sold out by 3pm,” he told Associated Press.

Meanwhile, few swallows and few or no other summer birds such as Narcissus Flycatcher are being found in an area of Fukushima, according to Tweets by the Japan Wild Bird Association. Readings of radioactivity taken in a heron colony are also showing elevated levels of radiation, indicating its likely presence in the fresh water fish the herons eat and feed their young. As remarked in one of the Tweets, “It reminded me of Silent Spring by Rachel Louise Carson. Forest of no chirp.”

 

Planet Waves

Germany Upholds Ban on Circumcision

An appeals court in Cologne, Germany, has ruled that circumcision of young boys on religious grounds infringes a child’s right to physical integrity. The verdict related to the case of a four-year-old Muslim boy who became seriously ill following the procedure. The court ruled that the individual rights of the child took legal precedent over the religious right of its parents. Germany’s Jewish and Muslim communities responded with outrage following the controversial ruling. Dieter Graumann, president of Germany’s Central Council of Jews, denounced the ruling as outrageous and insensitive. “It is an unprecedented and dramatic intervention in the right of religious communities to self-determination,” he said. Perhaps; maybe it’s about sex. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians states that the foreskin protects the glans, and that “the foreskin is a primary sensory part of the penis, containing some of the most sensitive areas of the penis.”

 

Planet Waves

Murdoch’s Pholus Just Won’t Quit

Planet Waves
Rupert Murdoch, demonstrating how tight News Corp used to be. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Rupert Murdoch, in an interview on FOX News Thursday morning, confirmed that News Corporation, his $54 billion media conglomerate, will proceed with a plan to divide the company in two — separating newspapers like The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post and The Times of London from the fast-growing entertainment unit. While some view the move as risky for the newspapers — which essentially relied on the entertainment arm of News Corp as a financial safety net, Murdoch proclaimed otherwise.

“In a memo to staff , Mr. Murdoch cited the company’s ‘spirit of innovation’ in the decision, which he viewed as an opportunity to free his beloved newspapers from their ugly stepchild status within the giant corporation,” reported the New York Times. “Our publishing businesses are greatly undervalued by the skeptics,” he wrote. “Through this transformation we will unleash their real potential, and be able to better articulate the true value they hold for shareholders.”

Some might argue that what has been “unleashed,” thanks to Pholus, is a big ol’ can of consequences for years of unethical tactics, such as hacking the voicemail of a dead little girl, leading her parents to think she was still alive. Even the FOX News anchor who interviewed Murdoch seemed to take his job seriously, pressing Murdoch for answers and prompting the bloggers at The Guardian U.K. to quip, “Murdoch seemed angry, annoyed with [Neil] Cavuto. His answers grew shorter and shorter and his smile grew tighter and tighter. Is Cavuto still employed?”

 

Planet Waves

Holder Held in Contempt of Congress

For the first time in American history, the House of Representatives has held a sitting member of the president’s cabinet in contempt. Thursday, the House voted along party lines to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, after he refused to turn over some documents associated with something called Operation Fast and Furious. This seems to stem from the right wing conspiracy theory that Pres. Obama is trying to ake away some Americans’ most precious possession — their guns. Obama has actually been gun-friendly, so this has its basis only in paranoia. In fact it’s so paranoid that Obama is being accused of selling guns to Mexicans in order to have them create violent incidents in the United States, and then use this as a way to roll back gun rights. The New York Times reported Thursday that more than 100 Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, the minority leader, quietly left the House chamber during the voting. They gathered in a circle on the lawn outside the Capitol for a news conference. “We are nonparticipants in what we believe to be a calamity,” said Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, Democrat of Missouri and chairman of the black caucus. “This is a terrible day for the House of Representatives. We did not want to participate in something that had some kind of a smell to it.”

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves
This is what it really looks like on the Moon, unless you think that it’s a studio shot directed by a young Steven Spielberg. Photo is of Apollo 17, the last time humans visited the Moon.

Man Walks (or Walked) on Ruling Planet

NASA’s Astronomy Photo of the Day website has published a shot showing Harrison Schmitt, the only Cancerian among the 10 astronauts who have set foot on the Moon, on his astrological ruling planet. The photo shows him investigating Shorty Crater with fellow Apollo 17 crewman Eugene Cernan in 1972. Schmitt claims to have taken the iconic Blue Marble photo of the Earth, which is credited by NASA to the whole team. He is also the only person known to have fallen over while taking a moonwalk.

His lunar excursion may have tripped him in other ways, too. He retired from NASA in 1975 and ran as a Republican in New Mexico for the U.S. Senate. He won, but lost a second-term bid to state Attorney General Jeff Bingaman who ran under the slogan “What on Earth has he done for you lately?” He later became a global-warming denier, claiming the environmental movement was a Communist conspiracy of activists who had nowhere else to go after the demise of the Soviet Union. It might be worth keeping an eye on any Aries or Scorpios who make it back from Mars one day. They might take Martial arts to a whole new political level.

 

Planet Waves

This week on Planet Waves FM: Introduction to Civics

Here in this week’s edition of Planet Waves FM, I am joined by the mayor of Kingston, NY — Shayne Gallo. This is not your hard-hitting kind of interview; rather, it’s a conversation about civics: being involved in society.

Planet Waves
Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo, Tuesday during the interview.

We start with a formal definition of what that means, the one you may have read in the Boy Scout Handbook, and then start to account for how weird the world is right now, and how much counts for involvement, and why it’s so important right now for both individuals and society. Note — the interview is in stereo, so if you cannot hear one channel, make sure you have both speakers plugged in or put your system onto mono.

I introduce the program with Venus stationing direct, which was Wednesday at 11:06 am EDT. This has been the most eventful Venus retrograde since the dinosaurs were around. It’s included two eclipses, the transit of Venus, Uranus square Pluto, Saturn opposite Eris, Jupiter square Neptune (all slow moving aspects), along with the solstice and a good bit else. All of that, contained within the time structure of Venus retrograde.

On Wednesday that energy released, and now we get to see what else was behind the veil. One thing that was coming down the pike at the time of this recording was the decision on the health care reform act of late 2010. It is an historic decision with many implications and a real test of the functioning of our government.

We go without a music break this week however — I am looking for a music editor to help coordinate that part of the program, and to evolve a spinoff indie music hour. Write to me if that turns you on.

 

Planet Waves


Friday, June 29, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #908 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Cancer Birthdays: Sun Meets Uranus-Pluto Square

If you have a birthday anywhere in the vicinity, get ready for a very exciting year — perhaps the most exciting of your life. Uranus and Pluto are making their square in aspect to your natal Sun — and that means progress. It might not feel like progress every day, and you may find that you’re dealing with forces much larger than yourself. Yet there is just one way to handle that: full commitment. You’re being drawn into your circumstances in a way that may be deeper than you ever have. There are elements of your environment that are provoking you to grow, to reconsider all of your thinking and most of all, to get in tune with the times. I suggest you face the moment with an open mind, remembering that you are no longer in the past and that the future is approaching quickly. This means making specific changes to your self-concept, your point of view and your relationships. Consider your encounters with others to be an aspect of your life that must evolve as quickly as you are, though your growth comes first. It may seem exhausting to keep pace with so many influences — whether internal or external — though if you make even the slightest effort, you will be carried by the momentum of the moment into a time of true achievement.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Going forward for the foreseeable future, there are two keys to success that are right in your hand. One is communication. This is as close to the thing that will solve every problem as you’ve got — particularly when you use it among people who are avoiding that very thing. When met with anyone’s intense energy, establish contact and you will both defuse negativity and get things moving in a creative direction. Take the time to listen (before you speak) and figure out what people are trying to say. The second is to know what you want. This will help you keep your focus, in general and when you encounter pushy people who think they know what they want — and don’t hesitate to push it on you. It doesn’t matter how enthusiastic or aggressive someone is; you’re in a lot stronger position if you know your own agenda and can therefore stick to it.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Your ruling planet Venus has stationed direct in Gemini, which is another way of saying that information is forthcoming about what in life is most important to you. That, in turn, will lead to your ability to make better decisions about what to do about that significance; to use what you know. One characteristic of the recent Venus retrograde phase has been an experiment in values. By this I mean that you’ve been able to explore aspects of life that may in some way go against your usual ethics, habits or morals. Seen one way, these parallel values systems are equally valid. Seen another way, you cannot be sure what is important to you unless you experience something different, in physical reality. It’s crucial to be able to experiment without the looming threat of failure or disaster, and you’ve come a long way in setting your worst fears aside. That alone has been worth the experiment, though you’ve gained a lot more than that.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You can now receive the benefits of something that you’ve been in possession of for a while. It may not be a thing, however — it more resembles a value that you hold close to your heart, a promise you’ve made to yourself or an idea about existence, which you’ve now decided to take seriously. You have every reason to be positive about whatever you’re committing to, or embracing your commitment to. It’s true that you have not fully let go of certain old tendencies, and you’re being reminded of certain qualities you possess that involve your ties to your parents. However, the center of gravity is leaning in your direction, and the faith that you possess is the thing that will get you past any of your doubts or perceived weaknesses. Therefore, you’re correct: this is the time to make all the progress you can, which by the way is more than you think.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Gemini birthday reading is ready! Click here for an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — The bigger the challenge the higher you will rise to meet it. This is a moment of full engagement for you, though notably it’s subtler than it is dramatic. Indeed, drama is the last thing you want right now, and the first thing to defuse. Once you’ve done that, go for the soul connection. This feels like a point of contact that goes deeper than what people say their goals are, transcends appearances and even ideologies, and reaches to a level of core understanding. Normally we preoccupy ourselves with every other dimension of relating to people. The planets are aligned such that you are positioned for a breakthrough on understanding what this whole business of soul relationships is about. I don’t exactly mean your soul ‘mate’ because you’re likely to have more than one. I mean a perspective on existence that is readily accessible to you right now, and which has the power to ease your way in life like nothing else can.

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Cancer birthday reading is ready! It includes more than hour of astrology plus a tarot reading. Use this link to order.

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Have you ever been on one of those scales in a science museum that tells you how much you would weigh on the surface of another planet? Now imagine a more elaborate version of that same display that would allow you to feel what it’s like on another world. That’s what your astrology is giving you right now. Check for several distinct properties — there is less gravity. There is an unusual blend between dreamtime and what you previously thought of as reality. As a result, the energy field is less dense — which includes the realms of human psychology and your physical surroundings. Changes are easier to make; you have the ability to peer into and even through things that previously seemed opaque. The whole experience may pass by you as if it’s a dream; it’s up to you to pay attention and remember what you experience, which is in truth a demonstration of what is possible and indeed available all the time, if you tune your mind to the right perspective.

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

 



Planet Waves


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — I am here with another reminder that Mars is about to leave your sign; that happens July 3. Mars has been in your sign since Nov. 11, 2011 — almost nine months running. This transit has made you aware of the infamous Virgo self-criticism thing; there were many times when you actually grasped that if you didn’t do something about it right then, you would lose your mind. In essence, you’ve learned to temper your aggression toward yourself, and have been participating in the world’s most effective anger management program. In truth we’re talking about energy management, and now that you’ve figured out how to stop fighting with yourself, you have a lot more energy available to take on the challenges of the world — and you have some beautiful ones awaiting you, especially as you step into the next phase of your life’s work. This is not about your career; it’s about going beyond your career.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — This week’s planetary activity includes several changes that influence your sign: your ruling planet Venus stationed direct; Saturn stationed direct in your sign; and Mars is ingressing your sign. All together, this looks like the release of stuck energy combined with a lot of new motivation. You may want to leap forward all at once, though I suggest taking things one step at a time and proceeding methodically. The energy and motivation provided by Mars don’t come with guaranteed good judgment; that’s something you have to provide for yourself. It will require some reflection and adaptation to your new emotional environment. As priority one, I would suggest keeping your focus on balance. Make sure those scales of yours are equally weighted, and notice how little energy it takes to tip things in one direction or another. Take the time to observe how little energy it takes to get the job done.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — By now you’ve figured out that you feel better, and get along better with people, if you take a less critical attitude. You’re an analyzer by nature. There’s a way to do that gently, which includes keeping your sense of humor, and refusing to assume the worst. Yet there is something else I truly hope has come across, and it’s not too late. Where you see the need for improvement in the world, you can actually devote your energy, your love and your resources. Yes, this involves taking a chance, and it involves being willing to extend some extra focus. Yet the real ‘risk’ is shifting from a negative orientation on the state of the world to a positive one. You have little right to expect the world to become a better place (however you define that) unless you’re willing to put yourself into that project. It’s pretty easy to identify the ways that provide mutual benefit, and I suggest that you mediate on the concept, ‘the greatest good for all concerned.’

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — The funny thing about many of the old descriptions of your sign is that they say you like to skip over the details, yet there’s that side of you that obsesses over them. I suggest you refine this down to a short list with fewer than five items, then go back to the thing you’re so good at — envisioning the whole scene. It’s time to develop the talent of knowing when you’re in which mode, detailed close-up focus versus wide-angle view. The wide-angle means sketching out a vision that takes you out at least one year from today, with direct continuity from the present moment. Think in terms of your broad goals, and certain focused goals. The idea is to consider these things in principle, rather than in terms of specifics, or proof of what you can accomplish. Also — with Mars still in your 10th house for a few days, I suggest you solve three persistent problems at the rate of one per day for the next three days.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — There are those times in life when you actually feel met, and this is one of them. Pay attention to who you encounter and stay sensitive to your environment. You’re in a position where you can be noticed, by which I mean seen clearly and recognized for who you are. A diversity of factors are conspiring to make this one of the most interesting weeks of the year. This is not a passing trend but rather a threshold through which you’re moving. Look at the world every day through new eyes. Be present in every moment; get yourself out of automatic mode and guide yourself consciously from moment to moment. Without expectations, assume that every encounter is a meaningful encounter — this includes people you pass in the elevator, the TSA agents at the airport or meeting a dog. Then apply that to everyone else you meet; listen to what they say. Honor the unknown, and call yourself fully present from moment to moment.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Events the next few days are likely to shine the light in such a way that you see your life from a new point of view. It will be like looking at a scene from your future that you cannot enter yet, because it hasn’t fully manifested. Yet at the same time your ability to envision yourself in a new way, in different circumstances, will feed your strength. In order to get from the place you are now to your vision for the future, you will need a combination of discipline, strategy and intuition in equal measure. There will be times when you have to defer to one or the other, though most of the time the three facets of thought will provide you with useful references to cross-check. You may be surprised to see the ways in which they confirm rather than contradict one another. One thing to keep in mind is the way that you use structure. I mean this as a concept by which you guide your thinking, and also as a real thing, which you might apply as the use of space, legal devices such as a corporation, and the way you use your time.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You have just spent the past nine months with Mars in your relationship angle, the sign Virgo. Far from being a regular occurrence, this is pretty rare, and nothing like it is going to happen again till around 2027. You’ve been through your share of conflicts, though more to the point, you’ve learned how to handle disagreement effectively and without losing your cool. This involves standing up for yourself when you need to, and arguing the specifics rather than the generalities. This and other factors suggest you can proceed with actual confidence in yourself. That’s a Latin word that means with fidelity. You’ve come a long way on your old problem of constantly being at odds with yourself. In fact, the theme that you’ve set during the past nine months is being in harmony with yourself, and more than any one thing this will be the secret to your success and happiness. Remember what you’ve learned and what you’ve been through; they are lessons of a lifetime.

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

Corrected Horoscope Text, Mail Server Issue and Cancer Birthdays

Dear Friend & Reader:

A poet can withstand anything but a typo.

Yesterday, we sent out the text of the horoscope without any of the corrections having been applied. There’s a first time for everything. What you read was basically the rough draft of the horoscope. Our forensic scientists and our underwater search and rescue dog are working on the case; meanwhile we’ve revised the text.

Planet Waves
Icha, the Pisces underwater search and rescue dog (who lives at the Grandmother Land), is helping us figure out what happened.

The corrected issue is available here. The problem only affected the horoscopes.

Meanwhile, both our mail server and some ISP servers were up to some tricks yesterday, and the past week. A number of subscribers who use Comcast (which I’ve dubbed Copcast) have been having issues receiving their posts — we’ve had this problem before, and encourage those who have Comcast as their service provider get an alternate email such as Gmail.

We will gladly allow two or more email addresses onto your account, as long as they’re yours. Call or email Chelsea and she will help you with that.

Meanwhile, a number of people who didn’t receive the issue yesterday did receive their corrected Aries text. Other people missed their subscriber content and got the free Master List mailing. Email is a mysterious and challenging way to deliver content. Remember, the subscriber homepage exists to address this problem — and as an archive of 10 years of past mailings. Once you dive into the archive you won’t come out for a few days, so bring a picnic basket and a notebook.

Please note — we don’t just cancel an issue or change the schedule without sending a notice. So if you don’t get your issue any Tuesday or Friday morning, please write to info@planetwaves.net and we will help you out promptly.

Planet Waves

Last, the Cancer birthday reading is available. I recorded it during the solstice for maximum power. We’ve had a lot of satisfied customers with these reports. They go much deeper than “Sun sign” astrology is supposed to be able to go. As I talk to other astrologers who do Sun signs, I realize why: most of them disregard the chart reading techniques that I use. I am able to use all 12 houses, and provide surprising detail because I work with a full compliment of planets — and themes.

This is a fully decked-out product, including three segments of audio, a downloadable archive for iTunes and Apple, access to last year’s report, photos of the Tarot spread — everything but me sitting down for coffee with you, which I would do, were we in the same neighborhood.

Here is a direct link to my description of the Cancer reading and the ordering info.

Thanks for coming along on our astrology publishing adventure, even when things are bumpy.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Through an Arch or Doorway

Planet Waves
Photos of this week’s transit of Venus, taken by Anthony Ayiomamitis in Athens. Technically this is called the moment of third contact — the third time that the rim of Venus touches the rim of the Sun. Fourth contact is when the other side of Venus touches the rim of the solar disk and the transit ends. The scattered black dots are Sun spots, which are associated with ejections from the Sun. See additional photo by Anthony below in the CREATE section of this issue, illustrating our tribute to Ray Bradbury.

Dear Friend and Reader:

One thing to keep in mind about an event like the transit of Venus is that you will see most of its influence in the long run.

Planet Waves
NASA image of the transit of Venus, as Venus makes contact with the solar disk earlier this week. This image was created from the live video feed provided by the space-based Solar Dynamics Observatory.

While many are experiencing turning points that would be appropriate for the solar and lunar eclipses that we’ve just experienced the past few weeks, it may take some time to gain the perspective necessary to see the transit of Venus for the watershed event that it is. It’s a little like passing through an arch or doorway, which leaves you at the beginning of a new phase of exploration.

That is part of using astrology well — noticing how these things work in hindsight, then using future events as visioning tools. However, another view is that we’re running out of runway when it comes to getting ourselves together, when you factor in the many larger and deeper missions, personal and collective, that we know we need to act on. More on that in a moment.

Many of our readers made the effort to see the event, seeking out university astronomy departments, science museums, friendly amateur astronomers and other places where telescopes were set up. A few used pinhole cameras and some just seemed to look up at the Sun. The subtle influences of such an event run deeper than whether you see it or not. One of the gifts of personally witnessing a rare astronomical event is a sense of perspective, by which I mean a sense of our place within the solar system, and observing personally that it’s real.

It’s one thing to see planets in the night sky where they often appear, amidst the stars. It’s another thing to see a planet in daylight, in the context of another nearby body, the Sun. Most of the time we don’t feel like we live within a solar system. Watching Venus go by, it’s difficult to miss.

Planet Waves
Photo of transit of Venus, seen with a pinhole camera, taken “in the middle of somewhere with a group of butterfly fanatics” in China. Photographer is A. Dong, provided by Planet Waves reader Sam.

As for my own viewing experience: I felt a bit like Basho, the 17th century Japanese poet, who would walk for a month to witness the Full Moon rise over a particular temple site, only to arrive on a cloudy evening. I’ve been tracking the approach of this event carefully since 2004. Due to my travel schedule associated with UAC (last week’s astrology conference in New Orleans), I decided (with many appealing options) to conserve my energy and stay close to home.

It turned out that there was dense cloud cover over much of the Northeastern U.S., though I hear a few people in Brooklyn did get a peek when the clouds parted. Where I was, looking west over our old mountains here, we never caught a glimpse of the Sun.

From an astrology standpoint, I believe it was more meaningful to tune into the transit of Venus energetically rather than to see it, though of course, the visual always helps bring things into a real-world, physical context, rather than merely conceptual.

If you’re looking for the influences this event is having on you, remember that we’ve been talking about an event with a wide orb. This week was the focal point, though on many levels of personal and collective experience, the transit of Venus reaches into the past and the future, with this week as an epicenter. The changes that are centered now will ripple into the future, and if you’re observant you will be able to trace them back to 2004, when the first Venus transit of this pair happened. Consider what was going on in June of that month and see if you can discern the turning point, and the connection to what you’re doing, or what is happening to you, now.

If you’re observant about changes of course in your life, you may have a sense of your relationship to this astrology. It might be obvious, though I suggest you consider carefully the factors of context that actually evoke meaning. Even as you may be making certain decisions under a microscope, also use the widest possible lens to look at your life. We are still at the fulcrum of this event. While the transit itself has passed, we remain close to it, with much of the leverage that it offers.

Planet Waves
Planet Waves reader Kristina Holmes gets a look at the transit of Venus at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The transit of Venus is what I call a threshold event; it’s not the kind of thing that wears off. Rather, it’s a point of initiation or crossing into another phase of existence. Consciously or not, we’re rooting our changes and developments here, usually in the form of decisions. The more consciously you do that, the stronger your tap will be into the creative energy associated with the transit. If you’ve been working with the process of this transit, don’t stop! You can deepen your experience by looking at your astrology chart and figuring out where this is influencing you the most, or the point of deepest contact.

Then there are forms of inner progress that you may be feeling, and these too will take time to grow roots and establish themselves. Like nearly all forms of growth, this is often more fragile than we usually imagine. At the same time, as is the tendency in orthopedic surgery, we have to stand up and walk on the newly repaired part of ourselves to build both strength and confidence. If you have not noticed, much of what we think of as ‘growth’ and ‘healing’ and ‘spiritual training’ rarely ever leave the realm of theory — and it can take some constant encouragement to actually start taking the risks necessary to make real changes.

Conscious readiness is often a meaningful factor in taking action, though I’m sure you’ve noticed how much time you sometimes spend hesitating or waiting for something to happen. That’s a great habit to squirm out of — you have much better options.

Every facet of the current astrology is helping with that. We have just experienced a cluster of four eclipse-like events (solar and lunar eclipses, the Venus transit and the Moon’s occultation of Pluto nearly simultaneous with the transit). If you think of the cosmos as speaking with this concentration of events, this is a sign that it’s really trying to get our attention. Said another way, many cycles are going off together — like the alarm clock, the phone and the doorbell ringing at the same time.

Planet Waves
Schwoebel family and friends watch the transit using their hands and the back door as ultraviolet filters.

While in some ways there is a revolution of consciousness going on, and gradual change is undeniably happening, you may be aware that necessity is currently outstripping progress. Much of the United States was turned into a fracking project long before most people had ever heard that word (and if nobody prevents it, Europe and China are next). Our government became a theocracy while we were distracted by our leaders bombing Islamic countries. We are living with “Christianity” as a religion of judgment, cruelty, privilege and control.

As of today, none of our cultural systems seem able to handle the changes and necessity for awareness that would get us to organize and take action on the many situations that are calling for it — and also the calling you may be feeling to get involved. We are just starting to make the connections between personal healing and planetary healing, still uncertain whether to trust that process.

We are still staring right into the sold-out political system; many courts, including the Supreme Court, stacked with reactionaries whose pretense of public service is laughable; banks functioning as little other than parasites, and the system remaining on the brink; Monsanto suing organic farmers for “patent infringement” when organic fields are contaminated by Monsanto’s toxic pollen; and the minds and emotions of most people embalmed by the images in television advertising. Speaking of, Scott Walker was able to buy about $25 million worth of that and convince Wisconsin voters that they really do want to end labor unions.

We could ask what it would take for a mass awakening to happen. The better question is what is provoking you to wake up, and what is your point of involvement? At what moment do you decide you have to live differently, reaching from what you know is your true purpose? At what point do you (or did you) commit yourself to what you truly value?

Planet Waves
Over Brooklyn, the clouds parted for a few moments, allowing a view of the transit of Venus. Photo by George Hirschfeld.

It would help on every front were we to awaken to the concept of mutual interests. As A Course in Miracles notes, healing begins the moment you don’t see your interests as being separate from those of others.

There’s a reason so-called conservatism pushes its ‘every man for himself’ way of life — if people are competing or self-absorbed, they won’t join together against the bigger forces that are doing things to them, their children and the whole planet. There is still the illusion of competition between what works for one and what works for all. Separation and the obsession with separate interests leads to conflict and chaos. Messengers to the contrary are trying to seduce you into being an egocentric fool.

Humans are naturally tribal. We need one another, and it takes the most impressive, expensive disinformation campaign in history to get so many people to think otherwise. I suggest that you make peace with the fact that in whatever you’re doing, whatever your plans, whatever you want to accomplish, you will need the support of some kind of community — and in turn, you will be offering your efforts to something larger than yourself.

At the same time, you have to take full responsibility for your own creative spark, and not depend on others to get you going or provide you with the solution. This may seem like a paradox. It’s simply the fact that your journey starts with you and branches outward from there.

It will be relatively easy to see how this week contained a personal turning point. The collective level is a different story. In hindsight, we will be able to look back and see if this moment contained the seed of an awakening or a missed opportunity. For now, 2012 remains up for grabs.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

 

Planet Waves

Weekend Astrology & The Next Burst

As Len noted yesterday, both Mercury and Jupiter are changing signs in close proximity. Together these two planets rule a third of all the signs in traditional astrology — Gemini and Virgo ruled by Mercury and Sagittarius and Pisces ruled by Jupiter. That’s to say, they rule all of the mutable signs. So when these two planets change signs, a lot of people go through changes of pace, direction, emphasis and theme.

Planet Waves
David Arner performs his tribute to Hermes at RPI in Troy, NY last month. Photo by his astrology student Eric Francis.

Mercury has ingressed Cancer, and Monday, Jupiter ingresses Gemini. Mercury moves much faster than Jupiter and it will be in Cancer until June 15. Jupiter will be in Gemini until late June 2013.

Friday, the Gemini Sun (gradually separating from its square to Mars) opposes Pholus in Sagittarius — the centaur-class minor planet with the small cause and the big effect (ain’t that life?). Actually, the Sun has been and still is skating past a whole diversity of the newer points in Sagittarius — including experiencing the transit of Venus opposite the Great Attractor, a massive nucleus of some kind in deep space, which is pulling galaxies toward it like a magnet draw bits of iron dust.

Also in Sagittarius are Ixion (issues of right and wrong, as well as second chances), Narcissus (who melted into his own reflection), and Quaoar (creation myths; family patterns). Then there’s the Galactic Center — the black hole core of our big gorgeous swirl of stars, where we reside on the outskirts along a side road.

Gemini offers one last act before the Sun swims to solstice — a second New Moon (the first was an eclipse, with the Sun in the first degree of the sign). When that happens, we get a perk from the lunar cycle being shorter than the solar cycle.

It takes the Sun about 30 days to go through a sign, and the Moon goes round the whole cycle in a shade over 28 days. So a New Moon on the 1st day of Gemini leads to another New Moon in the 29th degree of Gemini. It turns out that this degree has been making guest appearances in the charts for a diversity of intense, weird things that happen on Earth, from Sept. 11 to WikiLeaks to Fukushima (and even the Titanic). All these charts and several more in their class have one common feature.

One way to look at this is to say that it ties all those charts together by having that one degree occupied by a prominent point in the horoscope (the Moon, for instance). And speaking of, we’re about to have a New Moon in this degree, ringing all those charts. That would be happening on June 19, and it’s both the latest ‘gee whiz’ chart and also the beginning of another cluster of world changing-type events.

Next in order is the solstice on June 20, followed by Uranus square Pluto, the first of seven passes, on June 24, and then Venus stations direct on June 27. All of this is shortly after Venus makes its heliacal rise (it appears in the sky as the morning star) — its incarnation as the star of love. As they say in showbiz, timing is everything — and Venus couldn’t be better with hers.

 

Planet Waves

Let the Sun Shine (or Leave it to the Germans)

Planet Waves
Solar Village in Germany built by German solar architect Rolf Disch. Photo credit: Solarsiedlung.de

In an announcement sure to give environmentalists (and anyone who sees the Fukushima disaster for what it is) some heart and useful hard data, Reuters is reporting that German solar power plants produced a world-record 22 gigawatts of electricity — equal to 20 nuclear power stations running at full capacity — through the midday hours on May 25 and 26, according to the head of a renewable energy think tank. Following the Fukushima disaster last year, the German government decided to close eight plants immediately and shut down the remaining nine by 2022 — effectively abandoning nuclear power completely. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and bio-mass will fill the country’s energy needs. The 22 gigawatts of solar power on May 26 met nearly 50 percent of the nation’s midday electricity needs on a non-workday (the total the previous day equaled about a third of the workday need). There’s still plenty of sunshine where that came from. Norbert Allnoch, director of the Institute of the Renewable Energy Industry in Muenster, noted that this spike in solar production shows that gas- and coal-fired plants are also needed in fewer numbers.

 

Planet Waves

Gemini Astrology Emphasizes Relationship to Self

This week’s Gemini astrology emphasizes the healing of your relationship to yourself. Astrology is all about studying polarities (and Esoteric Astrology emphasizes the study of triangular relationships). Yet Gemini speaks to the inner relationship, the one that’s considered the most taboo and a topic we don’t usually want to talk about. The current astrology is about our different inner facts coming into a state of harmony or unity, which is more about consciousness than it is about anything else. Each of us is actually a whole being, and it’s only an idea that can make us feel separated from ourselves. The transit of Venus was the solar system offering a vision of how it feels to connect with yourself and what can happen when you do that. Though most of our lives have been a mix of the usual and the unusual this week, below the surface there is deep alchemy happening, and a clear invitation to relate to yourself in a clear and direct way. This can cause some turmoil in the world around you as partners in any codependent relationships you may be involved with resist losing that part of you that they thought was part of them.

 

Planet Waves

LDS on LSD? Mormons Embrace LGBT

Marisa Black, my friend and fellow writer for Dodson and Ross (and a recovering Mormon with a lot of interesting stories to tell), has been updating me on how Mormons in Salt Lake City are finally getting hip to the idea that it’s normal to be lesbian, gay or bisexual. First she sent me this video produced by students at Brigham Young University (scroll down a bit for the video). It takes nine minutes to watch and will convince you the world is changing. Then a little while later she sent this blog post, from Monday, about the Mormon church expressing what is in truth unprecedented and (to me) rather stunning tolerance, with its members marching in the pride parade. Mending divisions — whether cultural or those in your own psyche (they tend to mirror each other, by the way) — does not often happen overnight. Using whatever insights you’ve glimpsed this last week or two, see what you can allow or shepherd along these lines.

 

Planet Waves

Manning’s Lawyers Move to Dismiss 10 Charges

Lawyers for Bradley Manning, the alleged Army whistleblower accused of leaking a massive collection of governmental material to online whistleblowing organization WikiLeaks, moved to dismiss 10 of the 22 counts against him. Manning appeared in court Wednesday on the first day of a three-day pre-trial hearing. His defense team says the counts are either unlawfully vague or fall short of amounting to a prosecutable offense; his military trial is scheduled for September. Manning, who had been kept in solitary confinement for more than 11 months, was moved from Quantico Marine base in Virginia to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas in late April, where he was finally able to move freely around other military prisoners.

 

Planet Waves

Scott Walker Survives Recall Election

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker survived an historic recall election, prevailing over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Walker won the recall by a margin slightly wider than he originally won office — 53 to 46 percent. To do that, he had to outspend Barrett by a seven-to-one margin, so were this election graded on a curve, Walker actually lost. However, that’s now how the votes are counted, so Walker became the first governor in the country to survive a recall election.

Planet Waves

He came into office with the Tea Party sweep of 2010, heavily funded by the Koch brothers — the oil and chemical guys who are buying up all the political franchises. He wasted no time implementing his fiscally “conservative” agenda, most of which involved getting legislation passed that stripped public employee unions of their collective bargaining rights.

Do you remember the massive protests and occupation of the Wisconsin state house after Walker made that move? Remember all the Democratic state legislators fleeing across state lines so that a vote on the measure could not be forced? All of that momentum rolled into a massive recall movement many anticipated would be hard to stop.

What got in the way? In a word: money. Lots and lots of money, the flow of which was opened up by the 2010 Citizens United decision.

John Nichols, a correspondent for The Nation, told Democracy Now! on Wednesday, “We always like to tell ourselves that if the people get organized enough, they can offset any amount of money. But in Wisconsin, we got a pretty powerful lesson about this new era we’re entering into with unlimited cash … It’s something we should be taking a good look at — not merely for Wisconsin, but for the whole country.”

Nichols also criticized the Democratic National Committee and President Obama for mostly staying on the sidelines: “The comparison between tens of millions of dollars and an all-in effort by the RNC and by national Republicans [versus] a tweet from President Obama, I think, sums it up a little bit painfully.”

Our own DC-based astropolitical analyst, Astrodem, had this to say on the Planet Waves blog this week: “Exit polling analysis shows that large numbers of Wisconsin voters didn’t think a recall was legitimate in this situation. Recalls, in their view, should be reserved only for official misconduct. The fact that most voters in a fairly progressive state don’t consider stripping union rights to be official misconduct tells you all you need to know about the future of the labor movement.” (That said, you can read more about Walker’s apparent misconduct here — scroll down to see the stats.)

Unfortunately, a dwindling labor movement is just one of many signs that if those who consider themselves at all progressive don’t truly organize and activate to provide a counter-balance that’s further left than the current Democratic party, the Dems are likely to be sucked further and further right by the vacuum in the wake of the Republicans’ movement into the realm of the criminal. This isn’t about politicians playing games; this affects the roots of our socio-economic health as a country.

You can read more of Astrodem’s thoughts on the issue here.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves
Sunrise over Athens, with the transit of Venus barely visible. In the U.S., we got to see the beginning of the transit toward sundown if skies were clear; in Europe, they could see the end of the transit at sunrise. This photo was taken by astrophotographer Anthony Ayiomamitis, who also took the series at the top of this page. Editorial comment: with transits of Venus dating back forever (and calculations predicting the events going back thousands of years), people didn’t realize the Earth was round?

Ray Bradbury Summoned by Venus

In the midst of this week’s unusual grouping of planetary alignments, Ray Bradbury departed the Earth. He was 91 years old. The beloved and prolific writer who had written so much about Mars died during a rare event involving Venus. If we were to have a clue that this week’s astrology is more evocative of science fiction than science or astrology, this was it.

Bradbury offered the world such classics as The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Veldt (which you can read on Planet Waves) among others. He learned to write by devouring books in libraries, and paying for time on the public typewriters there in dimes he had collected, writing as fast as he could before the thing shut off.

There is no greater tribute to Ray Bradbury than to keep reading his glorious array of books, stories, and articles. He was more than a ‘science fiction’ writer and can hardly be pinned down to a genre. His great genius was in never forgetting what it is to be a child, to look through a child’s common sense eyes at the illogical behavior of adults, to thrill at the mysteries awaiting behind every cloud and tree.

His stories always manage to evoke the child’s sense of wonder as well as the fears and griefs common to us all. His own words say more than I can conjure in celebration:

As a boy of ten years I could imagine nothing finer than running to the library on a windy October night, pushed by the cold wind and traveling with autumn leaves to arrive at the wonderful place, the library, where I would stand for a moment in the wide open door and call into the deeps: ‘Are you there?’

And all the silent voices of the ghosts of my most loved authors would answer from buried years, naming themselves Poe and Hawthorne and Dickens and Verne and Burroughs and Wells, and their whispering, promising answer was: ‘Yes’.

And I would step in to join the shadows.

He has joined those shadows forever now — partying over the sherry with his best-loved authors and answering “Yes” when we call from the library door.

 

Planet Waves

Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

The Planet Waves June monthly horoscope and an extensive article about the Transit of Venus were published Wednesday, May 23. Note, the week of the long monthly, there is not a regular Friday edition in order to give us a chance to catch up with ourselves. Inner Space for June was published on Tuesday, May 29. We’ve delayed the Moonshine horoscope by Genevieve Hathaway until next week. The most recent Moonshine (for May) was published on May 8. The next Planet Waves monthly is for July and will be published the evening of Wednesday, June 20, the day of the Cancer ingress of the Sun. Note, we always begin publishing monthly horoscopes for the new month after the Sun has changed signs. — efc

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves FM recorded mid-transit of Venus

I recorded this edition of Planet Waves FM before learning that Scott Walker had won his recall election in Wisconsin Tuesday — the first governor to do so (two past U.S. governors have been recalled). In this edition I describe some of the astrology surrounding the transit, and talk about my appearance on Coast to Coast AM. This edition was recorded somewhat off the cuff but I’ve hardly ever received more email from my listeners; it seems to have resonated with the moment.

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Friday, June 8, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #906 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Gemini Birthdays: Living As If

If you discovered secret information that you were now aligned with your purpose or deepest calling in life, how would you live? What if that information came with the provision that you might not spontaneously feel any different, or have anything ‘happen to you’, but rather that you’re free to make your choices as if you know exactly what you’re doing? The message of your astrology is that something within you has come into focus, though you have to live this from the inside out. That requires taking a chance, because there may not be sources of outer reassurance that you’re ‘doing things right’. In fact you may be encountering resistance or doubts, and the only answer to those is to focus inwardly and remain in contact with your purpose as you make each decision. You are the one who will get to moderate between the various facets of your psyche, which may offer a diversity of opinions on the most significant issues in your life. As you do this, you will discover that those facets, and their various viewpoints, are aspects of who you are, but not YOU in the proper sense of that idea. As you gain practice with this, you will discover that actual you, which will gradually have a stronger voice in guiding the direction of your life, and finally, have the only voice. Here is a clue: in the past few days you’ve learned something significant about who this is.

ATTENTION ALL GEMINIS — This week I finished your Gemini birthday reading. The themes include deepening your relationship to yourself, gaining the ability to observe life from the viewpoints of others, and thereby opening up a new phase of your relationships. In your professional and creative aspects of living, I offer some ideas about how to focus your visions for the longterm and put your highest ideals into useful service.

This reading includes two segments of astrology, which cover the transit of Venus, Jupiter ingressing your sign, Chiron and Neptune in your career angle, and the Uranus-Pluto square. There’s a third short (experimental) section of audio that interprets Mercury retrogrades for the next year, and finally, a tarot reading using the Voyager tarot by James Wanless. Thanks for your patience with this report! I trust you will decide it was worth the wait. You may purchase access at this link. Note, this appears on a Flash player and we provide a downloadable archive so you can get it into iTunes if you have an iPod, iPhone or some other Apple device.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Your actions (and even your thoughts) could have unintended consequences, so I suggest you make gentle, careful moves over the next few days. Be mindful of situations where ‘one thing leads to another’, i.e., where something said under the influence of alcohol can take on an unintended life of its own. In particular, be mindful of when you’re acting on belief and when you’re acting on good information. The two will have a tendency to disguise as one another, and it’s vital that you be able to spot your biases. Subject all your suppositions to fact-checking, and be careful when you notice you’ve made up your mind before the data is in. Intuition is often trustworthy, though right now you need a few layers of intellectual safety net below you. And, notably, any seeming need to rush to a conclusion or a decision is probably a false alarm. Take the time to think.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Don’t try to judge your own progress. There are too many wheels in spin for you to predict where you’re going to emerge from your current adventure, or is it odyssey? Meanwhile, you can learn plenty from studying people’s reactions to you. They might be stronger than you’re accustomed to; if some people express adulation and others extreme irritation, taking the average won’t help you determine the truth — rather, experiment with not taking opinions so seriously. You could find yourself diving into situations beyond what you think of as your better judgment, perhaps inspired by someone who lacks your usual resistance to risk. You tend to overthink things, something you may find yourself bypassing these days. You can afford to live in a way that, for you, seems daring — your luck is better than you think, as long as you stay in the moment and don’t make any promises.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — How much do you want to be influenced by someone else? Keep that question in mind; once you imbibe any influence at all, the effect could be a total and unexpected transformation. If you’re encountering someone you perceive as famous, you might want to consider your relationship to their notoriety. Does it serve as an example? Is it useful? Are you starstruck? Or are you able to set it aside entirely and meet them on mutual ground? That would be the best possible scenario, though this may require you to project yourself into the future a bit, and to imagine the person you’re striving to become. No role model is ever 100% what we want to be, and other factors indicate that you’re feeling more deeply than usual about your own goals and values. The most useful modeling you can do right now involves adapting learning methods that help you focus on what is most important to you.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Your Gemini birthday reading is ready! Click here for an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — You have many opportunities for exchange open to you. Don’t worry if at first they don’t seem like the kind of plunge into the impassioned abyss that you’ve been longing for. When you’re wading out into shallow water, remember, it can get deeper suddenly and unexpectedly — and it’s likely to do so. Yet you won’t be out of your depth as long as you stay in communication with yourself and anyone with whom you’re closely involved. Communication begins with the prefix co, which means it should go both ways. Be responsive to what your own psyche is telling you. Be responsive to your environment. And notice what the people in your environment are telegraphing as individuals and as a group. The group dynamic is the one to watch with utmost attention — there’s a lot going on there, and you’re a more significant influence than you may think.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — The chances are that by the time you read this, you’ll already be moving ahead with your plan. I suggest you treat this a little like surfing or hang-gliding: a somewhat dangerous but compelling activity that utilizes forces more powerful than yourself. That’s the thing to remember and respect — what you’re doing goes beyond your own personal power. In such situations, the thing to look for is how you can influence the developments rather than take control. Your influence is real, and it can be potent; control is an illusion, and it will likely backfire. Therefore, lean in the direction you want to go. Trace the trajectory of your recent movement, and see if you can figure out what direction that indicates you’re traveling. Think in terms of your immediate, intermediate and long-term objectives. Any correct choice you make now will have the quality of supporting all three.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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

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

Planet Waves

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

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

Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

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

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Be careful not to take on all the troubles of the world — or to take personal responsibility for starting the revolution. Rather, allow yourself to be revolutionized, and give yourself permission to participate in the ways that work for you. What works will be what takes you out of your safe zone, particularly of your ideas. At the moment you lack the ability to isolate yourself from challenging ideas by making them abstract. Indeed, you have the ability to take everything personally. That’s why I suggest you emphasize learning and participation rather than taking on anything larger than yourself as a huge burden or mission. If you’re actually called to take action in a larger way, you will be the first to find out about it — and you’re unlikely to be alone. The salient message of your astrology is to observe, learn and engage yourself in ways that are nourishing to you, then gradually embrace your leadership role with that as its basis.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — You have room in your life, and in your mind, only for what is authentic and valid for you. You could say that this is about believing only what is true, though in support of this, I suggest you consider the possibility that ‘belief’ is not actually a value. Rather, it’s more like a substitute for one. Base your viewpoints and opinions on what you observe and can document, and make sure you question those things on a regular basis. This is less about questioning your assumptions and more about figuring out when you’re making them at all. This will help you foster radical discernment, and inspire you to dismantle your illusions — neither of which are especially popular on iTunes. Yet as you devote yourself to these things, you will meet others who are dedicated to both the truth and their personal truth — which often comes with the character trait of being able to change one’s mind.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Precision is the key, particularly when you’re among friends, or in public, or projecting your thoughts into any public forum (the Internet included). I mean precision of thought, speech and action, which are directly related. What you say has impact, and it will be attributed personally to you — so be mindful of being even vaguely aggressive or critical. Instead, make a point of being helpful and constructive, pointing out what is good about the world and the works of humankind (such as your friends and colleagues). If you must point out anything wrong, save it for the calmest one-to-one discussions you can create. I suggest, however, that you do triple-diligence when it comes to collecting your facts and understanding the circumstances behind anything you perceive. Meanwhile, I truly suggest you put your energy into visioning what you want to create in your own life. That’s not about all those other people — it’s about you.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You can see the potential in a certain relationship, and the benefits of liberating yourself from the attachments of your past. Yet it’s vital that you be realistic rather than idealistic, which means use what you know. If you find yourself feeling powerless, look for the ways that you’re not actually putting your knowledge to work. Meanwhile, if you’re going to be idealistic, at least know something about your ideals. Limit yourself to three of them and be specific about what they are. That’s another way of saying know what you want, then check everything you might be inclined to reach for against that list, to make sure you’re using your time and energy wisely. This will help you discern the difference between a false desire and an authentic one. Meanwhile, if any of your ideals get popped along the way, be grateful for that fact. You need solid, dependable ones, made of real substance, not the kind that are like soap bubbles.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — It’s not always about sex, but usually it is — especially lately. And when that’s true, there are those moments when you have to unleash the furies. You don’t have to release them all at once, though — try letting them out of their cages one at a time, and see how that feels. Meanwhile, every time you worry about your ‘reputation’, I would propose that’s a mirage for fear of your own power. In other words, what you believe is ‘bad for your image’ (or some desire that allegedly threatens your position) may be the very thing that is good for your strength and integrity. You seem to feel like you’re visible right now, and like you have some influence in the world. This is lining up with your passion and a touch of inner chaos in a way that might threaten to unravel everything you’ve built (which seems to be trapping a lot of energy). If that’s true, then I would say keep going.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Be aware any time the idea of sacrifice comes up — listen for the word, and for the notion. The concept comes in two forms. One is what you supposedly must give up, in order to have something else you want, or to appease someone in power. That’s worth questioning carefully. The other notion is to ‘make sacred’, with the image of laying it on an altar. For your purposes now, these are both false concepts, which cover over something else. If you pause and consider what that is, it will be easy enough to discover, lurking right beneath the surface. The truth is, you don’t have to make any offerings to get more of what you want from life, and the false belief that you must do so is directly interfering with your process of establishing a goal, and taking action to make it real. While you’re figuring out what you don’t need to sacrifice, I suggest you check for other points of interference as well.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Monitor how you feel at all times. As you do, you may notice that you can guide your feelings. Apropos of your nature this sensation is more like the flow of water. Thematically, there is a question beneath the surface of that water — how does success feel to you? You have ideas, plans and maybe a financial goal or two, though what would it feel like to be exactly where you want to be? Once you tune into that sensation, stay in contact with it. This might come with some relief from time pressure, or economic pressure. It might be the feeling of what it would be like not to be at the edge of your tether where commitments to others are concerned. Use your imagination here and start to open up your inner space of success as viscerally and in as much detail as you can. Then keep returning your attention there, if you ever wander off. Keep coming back and experimenting with this, till the space is big enough for you to enter.

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

Opening to Eros

Dear Friend and Reader:

Most people don’t sit around contemplating the beginnings of eras or sweeping changes to society — most of us live from day to day. As we do, we tend to have a tense relationship with change. Many of us cling to what we have and are familiar with, rather than welcoming anything new. We do this with arguably good cause: change isn’t always helpful, it’s not predictable and based on one fairly common way of thinking, it’s not under our control.

Planet Waves
The “legendary kiss” of Alfred Eisenstaedt, celebrating the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II. One of the most famous photos in history describes the release of aggressive energy into erotic surrender, taken on a collective level. Now that we have wars that never end, there is no culture-wide release of the tension used to support the war; in the current era of history, we have to create these opportunities for ourselves.

When it comes on the collective level, it’s almost always bad news. There is no positive equivalent to 9/11 or the financial meltdown, no collective breakthroughs that balance the damage done by these large events to which we’re subjected. We’re expected to feel victimized, however, then to pay for and morally support wars that we never even ‘win’. The result is that tension and fear have a way of building without a collective point of release.

If there are equivalents to a 9/11, we don’t generally hear about them, or they get little traction. I am not just talking about the thing itself, I am talking about the publicity campaign that goes with it, the media attention, the emotional push and the way that it’s used to turn the page of history. It’s true that there have been Moon landings and Woodstocks, but if you think back through history nearly all of those are in the evermore distant past. Positive developments these days come on a smaller scale. I would love to see as much publicity given to the Seattle Erotic Art Festival as is given to a random act of war. Truly, though: how many people would find that ‘offensive’?

We could have a Good News Channel — but first item in its business plan would have to be no advertising. It would be a miracle if investors put up the money and if people signed up. Who knows, miracles happen.

Yes, there are positive developments in history — though they are usually squashed in the onslaught of fear and negativity that so many people do pay for and devote their attention to. And if not fear, consider how much attention and indeed obsession goes to Hoarders, The Biggest Loser and Long Island Psychic.
This is a bigger problem than it seems. Attention is diverted from real issues and situations needing creative focus, and many people in their escapism are passionately uninformed.

Planet Waves
Your old pal Grover. This is Grover Norquist, who is waging a lifelong campaign for taxes to never go up, and he’s succeeding — for corporations and the ultra rich. Photo by Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons.

Historically, this issue of balance may be outside what we choose pay attention to. Consider how something like the Fukushima nuclear meltdown happens in one day and persists forever, causing sickness, anxiety and a threat to countless future generations. Yet when was the last time you heard about a breakthrough that cleaned up the mess, or a development in energy production that made the world safer?

How many times have you heard or read the words ‘tax cut’? Yet when was the last time you personally saw your own taxes go down? With the exception of your team winning the big game (at the expense of many losers, and basically a meaningless development), it’s fair to say that collective events — as we think of the concept, and have it inflicted on us — are almost always negative or destructive.

There is a huge missing piece here, which is evidence of an imbalance on the planet that we live with every day. Even if this missing piece is only on the level of attention, that is saying a lot, because what we focus on multiplies.

We all know of people who try to make a ‘positive impact’ and the ways in which their efforts can seem futile — to the point where many others are discouraged from contributing (or use that difficulty as an excuse). This contributes to a cynical view of life. Cynicism serves many purposes. It reaffirms the habit of negative thinking and negative expectation. It’s also lazy — the ‘it’s all bad’ viewpoint lacks passion or applied intellect. It’s the sign of a lazy mind, one that orients on problems for their own sake and will not open up to solutions.

Many believe that when someone promises you life is about to get better, they’re either a religious huckster or someone trying to sell you something (same idea), and too often that’s true. When you really look closely at the interlocking political, financial and corporate interests, there seems to be no way out, no way to alter the course toward the future that we’re currently on.

The First Peak of 2012 Astrology

Today I am here with another perspective, as we fully enter the first peak of 2012 astrology over the next few days. All of the aspects I’m about to describe are eclipse-like events, which means they function a bit like the Aries Point, merging the seemingly different personal and group levels of existence. Usually this is the kind of thing that comes at us; on some occasions we can consciously tap the energy and make it work for us.

Planet Waves

Chart for the midpoint of the transit of Venus, set for Kingston, NY.

The ‘transit’ is a conjunction of Venus and the Sun that can be seen on the right side of the chart, below the dark line. Venus is blue and has the number 15 next to it; the Sun is the yellow circle. The occultation of Pluto by the Moon is on the left side of the chart, also right below the horizontal line. The two events are nearly simultaneous, with Venus still moving through the second half of its transit when the Moon-Pluto occultation is exact. We are now in the midst of a series of these Moon-Pluto events — the last time they happened was early in the 20th century when Pluto was in Cancer. They only happen when Pluto is crossing one of its own nodes (which are in Cancer and Capricorn), and is thus closer to the ecliptic, where the Moon can contact it.

Astrology offers us the ability to see something happening on the collective level that can influence us personally, and in which we can participate. This participation can, in turn, feed back into the collective and a creative cycle can gather momentum. We think this happens on its own — though advertisers know how to use the process.

Does it take some faith to believe this? Perhaps; though the more you actually work with astrology and study it against the movements of your life, the more clearly you can see it work, though that’s often in hindsight. One interesting way to do this is to track major events against your own diary or key biographical events.

It takes some focus and skill to work with astrological markers in the present, and use them as points of decision. The astrology is telling me that we are now, at this moment, standing at a threshold of personal and collective progress. There have been others; we can only take them one at a time. You may already be feeling this in the form of personal developments, or sensing it as a high-energy potential. Potential is the key word: we’re the ones who get to bring it into experience. This is not so mysterious as it seems. Everything starts with a drawing; you might wonder how a little sketch on a napkin manifests into a skyscraper, but that’s what can actually happen. A turn of phrase becomes a novel; one moment where the light touches the Earth a certain way becomes a film. This is the beauty of human creativity.

The central event is the transit of Venus, which takes place June 5 or 6, depending on your time zone (see related article below about viewing the transit). The momentum associated with this event has been building for a while (eight years, actually), though we crossed the first immediate release point about two weeks ago with the solar eclipse in the first degree of Gemini.

Monday, June 4 at 7:11 am EDT there is the corresponding eclipse of the Moon in Sagittarius (eclipses generally come in pairs, solar and lunar). That’s followed by the transit of Venus the next day (see worldwide viewing details below). This, in turn, is followed by an occultation of Pluto by the Moon (another eclipse-like event) less than two hours after the midpoint of the Venus transit.
There are so many ways to interpret this rare cluster that you could write several books, though it’s the unusual grouping and unique combination of events that speaks to the potential hinted at by these aspects. As all eclipse-like events do, this cluster describes a shift in continuity, most of all — and this applies to every seemingly different level of human experience.

Let’s take the developments individually. The lunar eclipse describes a point of differentiation, where we can see beyond the past and beyond the shadowy levels of our psyche. An eclipse in Sagittarius is a critique of the role of religion and the way that it dominates nearly all of people’s personal cosmology. It’s an opportunity to forget everything you were told was true about God, the universe and everything, and make some observations of your own. What you were told to believe does not matter. What you observe to be true, or aspire to, matters entirely.

The eclipse of Pluto by the Moon is about deep passion working its way through the seemingly dense layers of personality that keep us stuck in patterns, sometimes for decades or even multiple lifetimes. It’s also about acknowledgement of something we don’t usually bring to the surface and perhaps talk about, our psychic scarring and our deepest pain. Without that awareness, healing is much more complicated.

Planet Waves
View of Pluto-Charon system from Hubble. Pluto is comprised of at least four points that we know of — including its binary partner (not a moon) Charon, as well as two smaller satellites, Nix and Hydra. They all orbit one common point. Pluto is a Kuiper Belt Object, now considered a dwarf planet, properly called (134340) Pluto.

Between the two is the transit of Venus. As I described in a recent edition, this is Venus passing so precisely between the Earth and the Sun that if you have a clear view of the Sun when it happens (and if you use viewing glasses), you will be able to see Venus orbit past the Sun with your own eyes — something that very few humans have ever seen.

Barring life-extension developments that few people would be able to afford, nobody who sees this transit of Venus will be alive to see the next one, which takes place in 2117. This points to our unique moment in history, or interval between the eras where we now stand. It’s a little like a fulcrum — when you move a telescope a few millimeters, what you see on the other end is a difference of light years. We’re the ones at the fulcrum moving that telescope, as we make decisions to do the right thing in our lives.

When you’re an astrologer you hear a lot of stories about why people cannot do the right thing, for themselves or for society as they see it. You work with who you can — with the people ready to make real choices not only to improve their situations but to get into harmony with something larger. The ones who want to often do.

Others it’s possible to help get free from various levels of being stuck, and that can go well if everyone is willing to participate. I suggest you be aware of your stories about why you ‘cannot be who you are’, and remember — they are stories, not the truth. Always remember Helen Keller.

However, it’s time to take a step forward. I am going to pass the microphone to a new friend — a psychologist and astrologer named David Tresemer. He’s the author of a book on the transit of Venus, and I interviewed him at the United Astrology Conference earlier in the week. If you listen to just one interview from the many that I did at the conference, this is the one.

So far, this is my favorite take on the transit of Venus, which I’ve been covering since 2004. After our interview, he sent me this summary of his ideas. I am going to publish it in full, then end with a brief commentary.

Here is what he’s proposing, in his own words. It is a form of creative visualization that I don’t usually write about, because it’s too easily confused with wishful or magical thinking. What David is writing about is not wishful thinking, no more than an architect sketching a bridge. Rather, this is about consciously designing our lives, something that I know many, many people want to do.

1. All of our pictures of the world are powered by energy. Giordano Bruno [1548-1600, executed as a heretic by the Vatican — ef] termed these “erotic phantasms.” Eros — passion, desire, love/hate, Venus! — motivates and energizes phantasms — pictures of this-is-just-the-way-it-is, dreams, visualizations, ideas, world-view. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Anthroposophic movement, described the same dynamic, though with less colorful terms. “Erotic phantasms” are not to be banished — as in “do away with all desire” — but rather exist to be recognized and worked with actively.

2. Eros/Venus will be stimulated and made turbulent by the transit of Venus on June 5/6 (the exact time is less important as we are in this rare celestial event — by anticipation — right now, and will be for some months). That restless eros will seek images to empower.

Planet Waves
Transit of Venus, at maximum intensity, on June 8, 2004 — the first of our current pair. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

3. Marketers, especially of technological gadgets, have used and will use this undirected eros. Going-with-the-flow on your part accepts that the world will be imagined by corporate marketers.

4. You too can direct that energy of eros — can meet it — by creating pictures of the ideal for yourself and for the world — not vague woo-woo pictures but rather very specific and detailed pictures of anything that arouses your interest.

5. For example, with the situation at Fukushima still teetering on the edge of its largest explosion, you could imagine that the explosion does not happen, that heroic scientists work out how to remove the fuels to a safe place, and that all species develop a capacity to learn from and transform radioactivity. In terms of the mythic images in the Venus transit book, this means envisioning the taming of the magical fire-bird to subdue its expressions on the Earth. Be as specific as possible.

6. If you cannot formulate new pictures — if the world as you perceive it holds you in its thrall, then you can focus on the picture of how-things-are-right-now-as-you-perceive-them each night before sleeping. Look closely at the details, best without judgment, and hold the picture in your mind, for just a minute. Spiritual beings will take it up through the night and in the morning (or in a few days) they will bring you an insight about how to penetrate even the most difficult problems.

7. In any case, take this opportunity to cultivate your relationship to ideals that engage eros behind them. Those imaginations will focus your desire — the restless eros of this time — in ways that will be healthy for you and for everyone else.

Okay.

That is some practical advice. I would add: leave yourself as much free time as you can for the next five days or so. Keep your schedule simple, and do some of the things you love. Most of all, keep an open mind. You may not be able to plan all that much, but if you can hold your vision and be flexible, you will be able to catch some of that Venus solar wind.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

 

Planet Waves

Transit of Venus Viewing Information

As reported in Planet Waves many times, the transit of Venus across the face of the Sun June 5 (or June 6, depending on location) is one of the rarest of predictable astronomical events. It’s happening the day after a lunar eclipse (which is at 7:11 am EDT June 4) and begins mere hours before the Moon eclipses Pluto. We won’t get another Venus Transit for over 100 years — so if you have even the tiniest interest in watching, it should be worth making the effort.

Planet Waves
This is one kind of viewing aid safe for looking at the Sun. You can wear a bear hat if you want, but it is not required for safety. Image: BBC Two.

As luck would have it — and perhaps speaking to the theme of ‘exponentially increasing awareness’ we’ve delineated for these events — this particular transit will be at least partially visible from most of the Northern Hemisphere and some Southern Hemisphere land masses. First we’ll cover the details for how to watch safely, and then where and when to watch.

This cannot be overstated: do not look directly at the Sun at any time without the appropriate eye protection for viewing solar events. Regular sunglasses will not protect your eyes from damage, which you will not feel because the eyes lack pain receptors. You can get inexpensive ‘eclipse shades’ from astronomy equipment dealers, and even Amazon.com is selling them, though certain styles may be out of stock at this point.

Read more…
 

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Fukushima Reactor 4 On Edge; Radiation in Tuna

It is excellent news that Japan has shut down its nuclear reactors, but there is still a problem in Fukushima Reactor 4 — it is close to the critical mass point. While there are official warnings that its fragile structure and thousands of tons of relatively new spent fuel could not withstand an earthquake, the problem may be far worse.

The radioactive wastes are located high in the structure, and have a long way to fall if the building collapses, and an earthquake is no longer considered a low-probability event — actually, it’s likely. To learn more, listen to this discussion with nuclear whistleblower Arnold Gundersen.

Planet Waves
What is left of Fukushima Reactor 4 after hydrogen explosion and several fires in the wake of last year’s disaster. This reactor houses 1564 spent nuclear fuel rods — recently used nuclear fuel — which are in danger of burning should an earthquake damage the pool they are in, or even if there’s a cooling water leak.

Meanwhile, scientists have reported finding elevated levels of radioactive cesium isotopes 134 and 137 in Pacific Bluefin tuna caught off the coast of California this year — a result of the Fukushima disaster. Cesium 137 is present in seawater anyway (a byproduct of atomic testing), but the two-year half-life of 134 ties it directly to Fukushima.

The discovery illustrates how migratory species can carry radiation and other forms of chemical pollution quite far. Scientists say the levels, while 10 times those found before the accident, are still considered to be within the ‘safe limit’ with regard to eating the fish. Tuna caught going forward will be subjected to new tests. They would have spent much longer in Japanese waters (due to spawning and migratory habits) and therefore could have a very different radiation load — and that’s assuming Fukushima Daiichi’s Reactor 4 does not blow up.

 

Planet Waves

What Would a Sexual Revolution Look Like?

Extrapolating from the Venus Transit’s eros theme, we put the question, “What would a sexual revolution look like?” to our friends on Facebook to get the visioning process active, and got some great responses. We published those as the Thursday installment of the Daily Astrology feature on the PW blog. As you might guess, the answers take some beautifully diverse forms, as does the conversation in the comments below the post. Take a moment to consider your own answer, check out the blog post (and its second part today) and feel free to add your voice and vision to this week’s alchemical surge of life force.

 

Planet Waves

John Edwards: Not Guilty + Mistrial

John Edwards, the former Democratic presidential candidate, was acquitted Thursday of one charge, and the jury was hung on the other five. The judge declared a mistrial on those counts. Edwards was charged in connection with using campaign funds to cover up an affair he had with a staff member, including a pregnancy.

Planet Waves
John Edwards with his daughter and father speaks outside the federal court in North Carolina yesterday, ending with a campaign speech. LA Times video.

This happened while his wife Elizabeth was dying of cancer. “Thank goodness we live in a country that has the kind of system that we have,” Edwards said, apparently referring to how well you can do if you have millions of dollars to pay for legal fees. He faced up to 30 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted and sentenced to maximum penalties.

In a speech reminiscent of David Byrne and Brian Eno’s composition Mea Culpa, Edwards said, “While I do not believe I did anything illegal — or ever thought I was doing anything illegal — I did an awful, awful lot that was wrong. And there is no one else responsible for my sins.”

Edwards was the closest thing we’ve had in a while to a populist candidate, actually paying attention to issues that affect the poor. His most famous speech was the one about there being “two Americas.” He was also a favorite candidate of many women, who viewed him as an advocate. In his comments yesterday, he took the opportunity to campaign for the next stage of his political career, promising to help everyone once he made his comeback.

Edwards seems to have been helped by his astrology; the gods of fortune were smiling on him. Next week’s transit of Venus is exactly conjunct his Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Gemini. We will update you next week if there has been any progress prosecuting George W. Bush, Dick Cheney or Donald Rumsfeld.

 

Planet Waves

UAC Interviews Now Available on Planet Waves FM

On Monday Planet Waves concluded its radio coverage of the United Astrology Conference (UAC) in New Orleans, LA. We’ve been promoting this event for weeks here in the Friday issues, and for good reason: some very creative, intriguing, vibrant people attend this event. We’ve posted more than 20 interviews with these individuals (who include western astrologers, Vedic astrologers, psychologists, a shamanic healer and others), plus coverage of the Media Panel, with more to come. You can listen to these interviews on the Planet Waves main blog, Daily Astrology and Adventure. Look for instructions for downloading to iTunes.

Here’s what some of our listeners have said about the interviews so far:

“Loved listening to the UAC interviews, especially all the psychologists turned astrologers (my degree is in psychology). Hands down, my two favorite interviews were with David [Tresemer] yesterday and the one where you were interviewed! What a fantastic story you had to tell! Keep up the awesome work; you will always have fans.”

— Kat

“Wow! Just listened to the Dale O’Brien interview – blew my mind! My natal Chiron in Pisces leapt into the air at this one (or maybe into the water…).”

— Huffy

“I’ve listened to about four or five interviews now and loved them. I now feel I know more about Vedic Astrology, which I have an affinity for, learned about locational astrology and just finished soaking up the information on Orcus and Varuna in the Melanie Reinhart interview — which I found fascinating. I loved being introduced to the compositions of Paul Winter in that interview as well, the first composer to use live recordings of animals in his works. To listen to his work coupled with visuals from photography or video is enthralling, for this nature lover.

Thanks so much Eric and the PW team. Simply wonderful.”

— Shebear13

“Loving these (sloowwwwwwly). So dynamic. And crackling. So much info! Thanks!”

— Michele

 

Planet Waves

2004 Venus Transit of the Sun by Anthony Ayiomamitis

Planet Waves

 

Planet Waves

Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

The Planet Waves June monthly horoscope and an extensive article about the Transit of Venus were published Wednesday, May 23. Note, the week of the long monthly, there is not a regular Friday edition in order to give us a chance to catch up with ourselves. Inner Space for June was published on Tuesday, May 29. Next week on Tuesday, June 5 we will publish the Moonshine horoscope by Genevieve Hathaway. The most recent Moonshine (for May) was published on May 8. The next Planet Waves monthly is for July and will be published the evening of Wednesday, June 20, the day of the Cancer ingress of the Sun. Note, we always begin publishing monthly horoscopes for the new month after the Sun has changed signs. — efc

 

Planet Waves

Friday, June 1, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #905 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Gemini Birthdays: Before and After

There are some astrological events that define life as the marker between “everything before” and “everything after.” You are at such a moment now. Tuesday’s Venus transit of the Sun stands as a borderline in your life, and you can work with that consciously now. What happened before is the past, though this is substantially true based on what comes next. You are indeed embarking on a future different from anything you’ve experienced before, accessing parts of yourself that you could not quite make contact with before. You have help from a solar eclipse in your opposite sign Sagittarius, which is allowing you to release attachments to family, security and situations in your life that are rooted in the past. A second, similar event (the occultation of Pluto by the Moon) is helping you dismantle your old concepts of ‘commitment’ and ‘relationship’ and teaching you to be guided by your soul’s intention rather than what society has dictated as proper or appropriate. Once you give yourself space to be freed of your attachments and make the decisions you need to make, you will open a conduit of nearly boundless creative energy and passion, which you can direct any way you want. It would be eminently helpful if you decide exactly what that is — subject to modification of course, though the clearer the better.

Note about Gemini birthday reading: I’ve been unable to get to this due to my involvement with the UAC conference — though I have the project — an extended audio reading for your sign — scheduled for Monday. Please watch your email and the Daily Astrology & Adventure blog.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — There’s an old expression, “Free your ass and your mind will follow.” Or is that “Free your mind and your ass will follow”? Well, after years of contemplation and experimenting, I think they amount to the same thing. There is nothing that liberates the mind like saying yes to your pleasure, letting go of your shame and inhibition and giving yourself space to be human. And taken from the other direction, a free mind is likely to observe that the next logical step is the freedom to take possession of your body and feel what you want to feel. It doesn’t matter which you start with, as long as the circuit is completed. Release from constraint is a holistic experience, and there is more than one way into the experience. I would pose one question, though: release from what? For some people it will feel more like fear, for others more like guilt, for others more like shame, for others more like anger. All of these are natural emotions with limited use — and the experience starts with the desire to go beyond them into something better.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — It is often said that the basis of love is selflove. Yet selflove is often confused with vanity, arrogance and self-obsession, and has a way of being put down as such. While many are busy doing this, the world is crumbling under the weight of the self-esteem problems that many people face, which come disguised in a thousand forms, most of which are not seen for what they are. Let’s come back to our starting point, which was selflove. This is not generally related to sex, which is presumed to come from other people — the sex we give ourselves isn’t usually regarded as ‘the real thing’. I would propose the idea that not only is masturbation real sex, it’s the basis of all sexual awareness and hence sexuality — and that it plays as meaningful a role in your relationship to yourself as sexual contact plays within any couple. Next week’s transit of Venus is pumping energy into your relationship with yourself — in its sexual aspect and many others. Explore this dynamic and you’ll discover that you can go deeper with yourself than you ever expected. Within your own inner space, you can work out anything that’s interfering with your relationships with others, and prepare yourself to go deeper than ever before.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — No doubt you’ve noticed that the pace of your life has picked up considerably since the eclipse in your birth sign that happened nearly two weeks ago. Events as they are developing will only concentrate the flow of experience, even to the point of putting you into a kind of time-warp. Tuesday’s Venus transit of the Sun happens in your sign, which is another way of saying it has personal meaning for you unlike for anyone else. It may even be occurring within a few days of your birthday, though in any event, what develops in these very days will influence your life for many years to come. There’s something here about recognizing yourself in your whole, undivided state, at one with yourself and your desires. There’s also an eclipse of the Moon in your opposite sign Sagittarius a day before the Venus event, which suggests that you have the ability to see past your attachments to others in a realistic way. This will allow you the freedom to take on the challenges of living in a way that is unencumbered by the past — or which, at least, keeps the past in perspective as something that has already happened. Many, many exciting and unusual things are to come — all of them supported by the cosmic gift of self-awareness.

Hello Gemini — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). We will have the Gemini birthday reading for you as soon as possible! Please check this space, and look in your email from us.

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — One of my Book of Blue model friends, an actor and artist named Heather Fae, and I made up a mantra during a photo session one day: Free Phantasy. We decreed that the realm of one’s erotic imagination is rightfully an anything-goes space. Anyone you want is subject to the whims of your imagination, as is anything you want, no matter how inappropriate or unavailable it may seem. Within the space of consciousness, we have an innate right to think and feel whatever we want. It helps if we dare to allow anyone to think or want anything they want about us. We don’t have to advertise this fact — only admit that it’s likely to happen and not waste energy resisting. When we allow the imagination to run wild, it’s inevitable that we’ll arrive places that violate various social morals or ethics. Most people spend enormous amounts of energy pulling back or censoring themselves, which in turn can lead to conflict and even paralysis and sickness. Anything goes means anything: darkness and shadow are part of our psychic experience on Earth, and can be sources of pleasure and authentic healing of a deep inner split that you no longer need — and that in truth no longer exists.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Those born under the sign Leo (including rising and Moon) are almost all people who are admired and looked up to by others. You might still feel like lil’ ol’ you, yet there is indeed something about leadership and natural respect that you have as a gift of your birth. Do you fully appreciate how influential that is? One of the most significant crises on the planet right now involves leadership, particularly on the ‘unofficial’ or social level where you’re the most adept at it. The transit of Venus is bestowing you with the gift of charisma, though there is also something about communication skills and something even more — ethics. You have the ability to put into words what is right and what is not so right. And you have the ability to demonstrate something that the world needs to see: how to live in a way that eliminates jealousy and competition as a way of life. You can do this because you’re confident in yourself, but also because you know that if humanity keeps driving its train powered by these two nearly useless emotions, we’re going to come off the tracks.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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

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

Planet Waves

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

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

Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

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

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You never set out to conquer the world, though you’ve always been guided by a sense of purpose. That is now being elevated to a sense of mission, which means tangible goals that you go after with passion and the presence of something that approximates destiny. If you’re not feeling that now you will be feeling it soon. I have been describing one of the key elements of this for a while: noticing what your many other previous and current projects have as a common factor — seeing the spirit and essence behind what you do, no matter what it is. There is one other factor: letting go of your attachment to place. This is one of the strongest attachments that a person can have — their home; their familiar community; their local friends; and invoking the fear of being transient and ungrounded. Often this includes the presence of their family (sibs or parents). You will benefit from unleashing your wanderlust and your ability to have anyplace on Earth be home. Even if you don’t let go of your home base, you will build your confidence and security by traveling as far and wide as you can, particularly if you don’t stay in hotels but rather visit the homes of other people.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — One (often unspoken) definition of ‘spiritual’ is asexual. This is particularly true in Christian culture, where Jesus, Joseph and Mary are all presumed to be virgins. Yet it extends into many other religious frameworks, where sex is the very thing that is suppressed in the name of holiness. Is there anyone who hasn’t noticed how weird this is? It is entirely backwards, a violation of natural cosmic law in support of imposed social organization. Yet you were created by sex, as was nearly all life on our planet. Religion then comes along, ascribes this all to God and charges fees for the privilege — then tries to inflict guilt if we appreciate nature for what it is. That, however, is what you seem to be doing. Your true nature is burning bright — the nature of your existence and of existence itself. You may feel like your beliefs (or those of your family) are being challenged, and if so, let the challenge begin. You don’t need beliefs because you have access to something direct. This may be shaking the structure of your mind, and if cracks form in the walls and ceiling, all the better for seeing the light shine through.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — One of the most interesting things about the way that Scorpio’s solar chart is arranged is that the sign Gemini falls on the 8th house. Let’s take those concepts one at a time. The 8th is about surrender in all its forms: death, orgasm, deep commitment, the movement of wealth between people and generations, and many kinds of situations over which we seem to have no power. It’s also the place where some of the best things in life come into our sphere of reality — and now you have a truly rare, magnificent event there. This signifies an inheritance that is not the result of death but rather the result of life itself. One expression is about feeling what a profound gift your relationships are. Yet another is actually experiencing in a direct way how meaningful you are to others. On one level you know this — and on another you waste too much time on your doubts and your insecurities. You don’t need them; they are not real, and you have a much more valuable emotional asset that is making itself known to you.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may be feeling something unusual, for you — being daunted by the presence, the talent or the passion of someone else. You’re usually the one who nobody can touch, the one people look up to and who seems to have some kind of superhuman quality. Now you get to feel what it’s like to have someone like that in your life, someone you admire profoundly and who you know is having a deep influence on the course of your life. Now is the time to let your relationships — this one, and others — feed you. You’re not in a submissive posture in these situations; indeed it is your strength that is allowing you to have the ability to be stable and secure enough to actually receive what other people are offering. This really is the key — receiving. There is not a therapist alive who will deny that people struggle with this, though if you’re aware of it, you can end that struggle now. Life is holding out some of its richest offerings to you right now, and will be for the foreseeable future. Open up and allow yourself to embrace them fearlessly.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Every time I hear the words ‘sexual healing’, I think — that’s a beautiful thing, but where would anyone go for that? We live in an era when even therapists and psychologists are terrified of having the sexual conversation with their clients, concerned that they might be sued for malpractice if something is taken the wrong way. Yet the pain that many people suffer is driven directly by their need for sexual healing, which connects to and influences the emotions on every level. If this describes you, I suggest you be open about this fact with yourself. If you can do that, you can take the next step and develop a description of your situation, so you know what your healing goals are. If you can state a problem coherently, the solution is usually right around the corner (borrowing from A Course in Miracles, “Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.”) Remember that your sexual past goes back to the time of your conception (what I call the conception drama) and may go back even further. Be open to healing and trust that the right assistance will arrive — most of which, in truth, will come from you.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Sex is an experiment. It’s a gamble and it’s a form of play though mostly it’s an experiment, which is most dependably driven by a form of love known as curiosity. From the look of where the sky aligns with your solar chart, you have plenty of that going on right now, and that may be arriving with a deep desire to jump into new experiences. Here is a question, though: to what extent do you feel free to do that? What, if anything, is presenting an obstacle? You now have the power to go over, through or around it. One way to do that is to be clear about what you want, with yourself and anyone whom it may concern. It rarely is the presence or values of others that gets in our way — it’s how we choose to handle these things, which includes whether we’re going to be slaves to our inhibitions. There is a closely-related concept to sexual experimentation, and that is art. This may be the closest cousin to sex and it feeds many of the same aspects of our psyche and has an odd way of leading to hot encounters.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — There is big astrology moving — some of the most amazing of our lifetimes. This weekend’s series of events is focused on the angle of your chart that addresses the theme of your home. You’re awakening to the fact that this is the source of your strength, your stability and your success in both love and work. Therefore, any investment you make in improving your home life will offer you rich rewards. Start by appreciating what you have and where you are, for its human properties and its geographic ones. Then look for the places you want to make improvements. There’s a direct connection from your safe haven inward to your deepest sense of security and outward to every area of your life, particularly the work that you do. Make sure that any new living space is perfectly suited for you to be creative, productive and prosperous. You don’t need to stretch your finances much to do this — you merely need to plan and be aware of what you really want. It might be a lot of space. It might be sunlight. It might be quiet. It might be living in the busiest part of the city. A new vision of home is about to come to you: open your heart and let it in.

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

Beyond Astrology

Dear Friend and Reader:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

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

 

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Gemini Eclipse Sunday; Things are Getting Twenty-Twelvy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Planet Waves

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

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

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

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

 

Planet Waves

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

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

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

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

 

Planet Waves

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

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves
Sheri Winston.

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

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

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

 

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Interview with Performance Artist Stevie Jay

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

 

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Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

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

 

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

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

Gemini Birthdays This Week

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

Aries (March 20-April 19)

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

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — It’s as if you’re split between two different existences right now — one in which you feel the emotional challenges and darkness that you want to work through, and another in which you can feel and experience your potential. I suggest you allow those two seemingly separate worlds to coexist, and feel the tension that creates. Hold open the space between them. Don’t let the two sides of the equation mush into one nondescript morass. If you can do that, you’ll see that you have a choice in the matter of how to experience your existence — and there is more in this choice than you may recognize. For example, emotional challenges almost always relate to the past. What role does the past play in what you’re doing now? Expressing your potential is about making contact with yourself, and that can only happen in this very moment. What is stopping you? Don’t worry about how to resolve this issue. I suggest you work with the various dichotomies as long as you can.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

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

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

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Sunday’s solar eclipse will help you let go of the negative expectations that have dragged you down for so long. I realize that life is not exactly a walk in the park these days, with all the stresses we face and far too much uncertainty, confusion and stupidity in the society of which we’re part. Yet you can support your own cause by allowing your fears and insecurities to be drained out of your psyche, as this eclipse suggests they can be. If you want to facilitate the process, do your best to relax. For now, all you need to do is allow. At least for the next few days, ease off on the pressure to achieve. If you have to do anything, do it in the most relaxed way possible, and when you can, gradually recognize that the things that have been sources of anxiety in the past don’t have to exist today. Practice being bigger than them, which should be easy, because you are.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You don’t have to be anyone you’re not. That’s the beauty of this moment. Who you are is not only adequate — it’s amazing. For the next few days, experiment with the feeling of having to live up to nobody’s expectations. You can be less visible, less vocal, even less helpful. This will help you center yourself, which will give you more energy to do whatever you want. One theme of the next few weeks (of utterly extraordinary astrology) is you finding your true relationship to the world around you. Many of the things that influenced you in the past are no longer valid or necessary. The world to which you’re forming a new relationship has never been a more frenetic work in progress — but there are patterns developing, and if you notice them you will be able to slip into the flow with much greater ease than ever before. To the extent that you’ve ever discounted the value of your intelligence, I suggest that’s the first thing that’s going to change.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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

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

Planet Waves

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

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

Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

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

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

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

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — A world of possibilities is about to open up to you, though you may be so involved in your current commitments that you can’t see any way of making those possibilities real. However, most of the truly spectacular astrology of the next month takes place in the angle of your chart that speaks about longterm plans, so I suggest you take the long view. That always starts with holding a vision. You will be amazed when you see how efficiently a vision translates into manifested reality. Keeping that in mind, this would be a great time to get clear about what you do not want, and gradually resolve each of those things one at a time. You might notice that as you do this, you will discover that some of those aspects of your life are nourishing you beautifully, and if that’s true, you can keep them.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — You seem drawn into a situation where you will need to let go of some of your own priorities and work with those of someone else. There’s a way to do this without giving up your power, which is about working with the common interests you share with the people in this situation. There are plenty — and there is also the potential for everyone to benefit substantially based on those mutual interests. In actual fact, life is not a game of “every man for himself.” If it was, we would not build towns, cities, universities or farming cooperatives. But there is a commitment involved. In this case you may feel that you’re making that commitment to a certain person or maybe even to an idea, or a values system. In truth what you’re doing is committing to your relationship to existence. That’s a little like saying you’re reaffirming your promise to live your life fully, only it’s a lot bigger.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — You may wonder what is happening to a particular relationship — but I suggest you leave your fears behind you. Yes, you might have the feeling that things are slipping out of control, but what good has control done for you or for the people you love? What you’re about to experience is the first step in a concentrated series of transitions lasting into late June. One message of this journey will be that control is a null concept. You will be reminded to take nothing for granted. And you will see how far simple trust can take you in your most intimate relationships. I know that most of the time we define these encounters as places of exchange, where if things are going well, we both give and get. The relationship environment of your life goes beyond mere exchange, and enters the dimension of alchemy. You have a role in someone’s life that you don’t understand — and cannot fully understand until you see the results. You don’t need to do much, except for participate when you feel the opening and invitation to offer yourself.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — The world around you may seem to be spinning out of orbit, but you are grounded and safe. You have what you need, and if you don’t, you can go a long way by opening up to receiving it. That sensation of opening to receive — so rarely remembered, if it was ever experienced before — is a gentle feeling. There’s no struggle, no question of deserving, no push or pull. It’s as natural as a sponge absorbing water. You have something more, though — the ability to self-create. In a sense, you are absorbing from within, which is one of the exalted creative stages because it means you can access your inner well and have something unusual to express. I would add a note about any health worries you may have: this is the weekend to put them behind you, whether by recognizing they are merely fears, or by deciding what action you can take to resolve the issue.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You seem to feel cluttered in emotional material, to the point where there is no room for you within your feelings or the four walls you inhabit. I suggest you make some space. Push the walls open, clear out people and things (including the ones you’re carrying in your aura) or get outside, at any time but especially for Sunday’s solar eclipse. If you have been struggling for ideas to move forward, you will discover that they were on their way once you made space for them. Creativity is not compatible with worry, and it’s rarely an attribute of what psychologists call the mind’s “problem-solving mode.” If you are trying to solve problems, make sure you define them in a clear way. Don’t assume you’ve already done this — people rarely do. If something has persistently not had a solution, then it’s likely you’ve defined the problem in a way that cannot be solved. In any event, keep your body moving and your mental energy flowing, changing your scenery until you arrive somewhere nourishing.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This weekend and for the next few weeks, pay attention to how you feel wherever you are. I would include geographic locations as well as physical spaces such as your home, your workspace and any other spot you may visit. Choose where to be based on what you know about how you feel in certain spaces — and use that power of choice generously. You are in the process of forming a bond with the Earth, and this is directly related to your sense of place. While not considered one of the five senses of Aristotle, it’s one of the most significant modes of awareness you have — the sense of where you belong. This is not so much a rational thing as it is a feeling thing. If you’ve felt divided about this issue, for example if you’ve been splitting your life in an uncomfortable way, you may discover that you can now resolve that. And if you’ve felt stuck (a very different sensation than grounded), you can get the energy going and work that out as well.

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

Adam Yauch: A Voice From the Chaos

Please note a correction to earlier editions of this page.

Dear Friend and Reader:

I can place my experience of the Beastie Boys into three distinct moments. In the late 1990s, I saw them play a benefit concert for Mumia Abu-Jamal, the black journalist on Pennsylvania’s death row. The show was one of those special moments of activism in American history. Worldwide momentum was gathering in the movement to free Mumia, and to end the death penalty.

Planet Waves
Adam Yauch after the first Tibetan Freedom concert on June 19, 1996 in San Francisco, headlined by the Beastie Boys and Smashing Pumpkins. Through this work, Yauch helped spark the modern movement to liberate Tibet. The Tibetan monk is Palden Gyatso, who shared personal experiences of atrocities committed against the Tibetans by Chinese authorites. Photo by Kiino Villand.

Rage Against the Machine was the headline act that night at the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey. The Beastie Boys, the white guys who brought rap to the suburbs, were listed as the openers. By some miracle, at that time I might have been the only relatively young person who did not own one of their CDs, nor had I heard a single note of their music. This was one of many experiences where my first impression of a band was a live performance. I had no idea what to expect.

I had excellent press seats just off to the side of the stage. My friend sparked up a joint just as the lights dropped and the guys came onstage. From the first moments, I was treated to one of the most sublime experiences of a rock concert that I can ever remember. Well, it was an unusual kind of rock concert, with a deejay playing turntables as an instrument, and none of the band members playing instruments.

Rapping for them meant telling stories and gliding around on the stage like dragonflies. Yet there was something else. These performers were clairvoyant. They seemed to open up an alternative dimension and bring everyone with them. It was as if the lead vocalist (emcee is probably the more accurate term), a guy with the stage name Ad-Rock, was able to levitate the room or shift the consciousness of the audience with a gesture of his hand, an extended pause or a few words of speech. They had a perfectly harmonized, astonishing rapport with their audience, and it was clear that they were rising to the occasion of this historic concert. It was one of those moments during a live performance where I could barely believe it was happening.

The evening, however, had a heavy theme: an innocent guy was waiting to be executed, presumably as punishment for having told the truth about some difficult racial issues in Philadelphia. Imagine the horror of that. We were doing what we could — raise a lot of cash for his legal defense.

Through the evening, the Beastie Boys did something verging on impossible: they explained the relevance of a complex political issue to young people. Yet their message seemed to come across in empathic pulses, as well as in their few words of explanation, expressed with artistic mastery and respect for humanity. Some have described this as ‘social consciousness’, which extended to an existential level. Yet for some reason, I did not become a fan. I don’t know why not; I never thought about it.

Planet Waves
Adam Yauch in his 40s. Photo by Mark Mainz.

My next encounter began last week, when I heard that one of them — a guy who went by the stage name MCA — had died of a rare form of cancer at age 47. I remembered that amazing concert and the sense of contact I felt with the band.

Partly due to my work on environmental toxins issues, I have a special place in my heart for young people who get cancer. There are just too many of them, it’s not necessary and there is a discussion about this issue that simply must happen more openly. Omega Institute recently described cancer as “an ever-present part of modern life,” adding, “Yet, for many people, cancer is a wake-up call to create a new, more conscious life.” This is indeed what happens a lot of times — but not always.

The cancer pandemic is rarely called what it is: an induced breakdown of the genetic code that directly touches half the members of industrialized society, and everyone else by extension. It is associated with lifestyle, but is it really possible to avoid plastic? Cancer as we know it may be the biggest crime ever committed, a systemic, slow-acting mass murder to dwarf the most deranged visions of Stalin. This in turn stems from many forms of corporate fraud and an endless litany of crimes against the environment: not negligence but intentional acts, all of them motivated by profit.

This past Saturday morning I was reading the New York Times obituary of MCA, whose birth name was Adam Yauch. I read the line, “Mr. Yauch (pronounced yowk) was a major factor in the Beastie Boys’ evolution from their early incarnation, as testosterone-driven pranksters…” and I remembered who this was: someone I was friends with when I was a kid. I had the strange feeling that comes from making a remote, seemingly impossible personal connection.

We were both from Brooklyn, with a few months’ difference in age. I ran down the possibilities and put together that I knew him from summer camp — Camp Onas, in the mid-1970s. He must have spent half his childhood saying, “Adam Yauch. Y-a-u-c-h, pronounced yowk.”

Planet Waves
Adam Yauch with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Boston in 1995. Viral image — photographer is unknown.

I paused for a moment and recalled the memory of seeing his face the first time one summer afternoon in 1975. I could see his eyes looking out at the world from deep inside himself, curious about what was going on around him yet shrouded in a little suspicion or a touch of darkness. These urgently seeking eyes are the same ones I see gazing at the world in so many of the photos taken throughout his life.

Camp Onas is a small, simple and (at least at the time) not so expensive Quaker camp. In the Quaker tradition, the experience is about people rather than activities. I spoke to Adam’s mother, Frances, on Thursday morning, who said that Adam loved the place, and that it was “one of many beautiful moments in his life.”

The camp is founded on the principles of simplicity and nonviolence. The religious element consisted of one hour of silent meeting every Sunday morning, though that one hour a week led to a bond that we all shared, a connection to something larger. When we attended Onas in the mid-1970s, there were many conscious, talented and ethical young people working there as counselors, many of them driven by a back-to-the-land ethos of the moment. I credit Camp Onas as being the place where I first made contact with nature and with my emotional intelligence, and the place I first consciously noticed how beautiful women are. Contrasted with Brooklyn, it was another universe.

Tim Mammel was our camp counselor for a couple of summers. When I went to write to him on Facebook Saturday, he had already contacted me. We had at least one thing in common — we didn’t know that Adam was one of the Beastie Boys until he had died. Of Adam, Tim said: “He was a prankster, always up to fun. He loved to joke, but he was a thoughtful guy, as evidenced in his life,” adding: “I love the Beastie Boys. And I’m inspired with the humanitarian work he did with raising awareness of Tibet being controlled by China and the tragedies that ensued. He became a voice for integrity and human rights.”

Their efforts dedicated to Tibet, spearheaded by Adam, helped bring the issue to public consciousness. The first Tibetan Freedom concert on June 19, 1996 was considered one of the most significant benefits of that era, and at least in terms of raising awareness of the issue, it worked.

Planet Waves
The Beastie Boys in their video for Intergalactic, which is nothing but fun. The Beasties, under the clever guidance of Yauch, were the masters of D.I.Y., often directing their own videos.

At the time, Tibet was not a widely recognized issue. A few artists were aware of the situation; Tibet House was founded in 1987 by a group of artists and actors, and benefit concerts featuring Philip Glass and others were helpful in calling attention to Tibet, though exposure was limited.

The Beastie Boys were instrumental in bringing the issue to the forefront. Adam interviewed the Dalai Lama for Rolling Stone‘s edition of Aug. 8, 1996. The Dalai Lama said: “I am ready to negotiate [with the Chinese] anyplace, anytime, without preconditions. The most important thing [is that] there should be a free atmosphere to exchange ideas. Independence rightfully belongs to the Tibetans. Since the Chinese occupied Tibet, despite some positive changes, the people have suffered tremendously, immeasurably. As a result the majority of the Tibetan people, including young Tibetan communists, do not want to live under Chinese domination. But if we just insist on complete independence, that is also not realistic. So I am pursuing the middle way.”

Yauch asked the Dalai Lama about his meditations for compassion directed at the Chinese oppressors of the Tibetan people, suggesting that Americans might find this strange, given that a friend is a friend and an enemy is an enemy. He responded, “The very concepts of friend and enemy actually depend on many conditions. The reality is that the status of our friends and enemies can change, whether it is within a year, a decade or many decades. Our enemies are not necessarily permanent enemies, nor our friends permanent friends. Therefore it is possible to change our attitudes according to this reality.”

Closing the interview, the Dalai Lama said: “We need to develop compassion and a sense of brotherhood [and] sisterhood. Proper compassion means a feeling of closeness with others and, with that, a sense of responsibility. I believe that at birth, human beings are free from ideology but not from affection. Although anger and negative feelings are part of human nature, love and compassion are even stronger within us.”

Born in the Sixties

Adam was born in the mid-1960s, just as the Uranus-Pluto conjunction was reaching its first peak in Virgo. This is the rare astrology at the core of the historical era we call The Sixties. Both Uranus and Pluto are slow-movers. They typically form a grouping of three conjunctions approximately every 115 to 140 years, and one was happening when Adam was born. When Uranus and Pluto get together (in a conjunction, square or opposition), there is always a revolutionary spirit in the air. The people who are conscious at the time, even as children, can experience that as a palpable energy, as formative historic events or as a direct calling. (For example, notice what you are feeling now about being called to participate in the global changes that are unfolding.)

Planet Waves
Adam Yauch, or MCA of the Beastie Boys. You can see the Mercury-Uranus-Pluto configuration in Virgo at the upper left of the chart (see chart detail below). You can see the Cancer/North Node configuration at the top of the chart, toward the right side. This is an example of a pronounced Sixties configuration — it stands out in the chart because it’s amplified through other planets. This chart is my rectification. His family said the time of birth was not available.

Yet those who are born at the time of a Uranus-Pluto event can embody the aspect as something that influences them their whole lives. Not everyone expresses the energy at full strength, or in an especially noticeable way. Often the best attributes of such an aspect remain latent, existing mainly as a potential. Whether it expresses itself or not depends on the specifics of one’s chart, as well as biographical factors involved (the two are related). Certain astrological events later in life, often timed with biographical events, can awaken that potential.

But for some people it’s awake all the time, during every moment of their lives — which is often felt as a call to action. What we find in Adam’s chart is something stunning: he has Mercury right in the mix of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction. It’s a triple conjunction of Mercury, Uranus and Pluto in Virgo. This is a sign where Mercury is happy and able to be himself at full strength — and able to express the message of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction.

You may be familiar with the themes, since we are currently in a Uranus-Pluto epoch and I’ve been writing about them a lot. (This is the Uranus-Pluto square, which I’ve been calling the 2012 aspect. It really lasts from 2012-2015, with a wide orb on either side.) Let’s start with Uranus: a planet associated with revolution, invention and disruption. Think of Uranus as the energy of inspiration, which up-ends the known order of ‘reality’. It’s a progressive force, focused on the future, and is the fundamental opposite of conservative. Conservatism is about preserving the status quo and Uranus is about striking the status quo with lightning.

Pluto for its part represents another unstoppable force, though one that works deeper on the interior of life. It has correctly been associated with evolutionary process, a kind of subterranean energy that moves all people and all of society forward, though often slowly. As with other very slow-moving planets, Pluto comes in and out of focus, and once it gets into the spotlight it can seem to act quickly — though there was always a buildup involved.

Pluto has a revitalizing quality. It presents challenges that can confront us with imminent or enforced changes, the idea of death, near-death experiences and the deep urge to grow, and at the end of these events we often come out much stronger. Pluto’s position in a natal chart is always an intense point of focus for that lifetime.

Planet Waves
Mercury, the green critter with horns, is placed between Uranus and Pluto in Adam’s chart. You could say that Mercury is delivering the message of the conjunction. The blue cross in the circle is the Part of Fortune. To the top right is the Sun conjunct hypothetical point Transpluto, which helped him focus his creative energy like a laser and keep his mind open.

When we get Uranus and Pluto acting together, they combine and work in synergy, producing a third force greater than (and different from) either of the individual elements. In such moments, those with a progressive orientation can be called to action and those who are reactionary or regressive can dig their heels in and try to encrypt themselves in a fortress of the past. Such was the case in the Sixties and such is the case today.

With Mercury conjunct this aspect, its qualities become readily accessible, and this in turn had a distinct way of defining his personality and mental posture. In Virgo, Mercury starts off intelligent and actually able to think. When you put it with Uranus and Pluto, it works like the pickup in an electric guitar, gathering the wave pulses of Uranus and Pluto and focusing them into a message. And that message is brewing in a mind that is consumed by the combined force of revolution and evolution — energy which must go somewhere.

We would need to look no further for an eloquent description of Adam’s artistic sensibilities — the divine chaos that was (and hopefully will still be) the Beastie Boys — or the social ethos that he expressed in everything he did. It is fair to say that Adam took the best qualities of the Sixties and carried them forward in a new form for the next generation. This was part content and part form: part of their secret to success was mastery over their technology. They didn’t wait around for people to do things for them. They took up their own tools and willed themselves into the big time, never sacrificing their ethics.

[For some obvious contrast, consider that Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was born the following year and has Mars in Virgo conjunct the Uranus-Pluto conjunction, right where Adam had his Mercury. Reznor expresses the conjunction as cacophonic rage.]

One ethos of the mid-Sixties was being iconoclastic, which is to say, cracking the most precious images of society as it was in the past. In the United States, one of those icons is racism. Another theme of the Sixties was bringing diverse people together. In that era, the whole ‘we’ve got to be separate and hate one another’ thing had fallen on hard times: diversity was a passion, not a duty. Yet by the 1980s, racism (and various forms of racial separatism) had once again become a kind of cultural altar at which we were supposed to worship or, well, risk being called racist.

The Beastie Boys were having no part of this. They exploded the black-white barrier of their era like nobody else. This was the time of Public Enemy and Fear of a Black Planet (one of the more creative CDs of the time). Political correctness and a sense of victimhood verged on mandatory. A lot of those Malcolm X posters, of him peeking through the living room curtains with a carbine rifle, were hanging in dorm rooms. The Beasties responded with their sense of humor and talent for blatantly trespassing across racial barriers — inviting everyone to their party.

Planet Waves
Cover of Paul’s Boutique, the Beastie Boys’ second album, released in the summer of 1989. Photo by Adam Yauch, who directed many of the band’s brilliant videos, with no formal training.

The Beasties started out punk rockers who at first imitated and made fun of rap, then became one of the genre’s most positive and creative influences, crossing racial divisions as if they didn’t exist. Their prankster spirit was pure Sixties, and part of their popularity stemmed from the fact that their act was so much fun. That was a sweet coating over the substance they brought into their work.

As my friend Mike Ackerman put it, “In some ways, the Beastie Boys were this generation’s Beatles. In the same way as the Beatles did, the Beasties got together as a band to do one thing and found their fame doing another, yet, also in the same way as the Beatles, the Beasties attempted to copy black music and like the Beatles forged their own style in copying this music.” Yet beyond the music itself, what the Beatles did was use their platform for many good causes — an idea they got, by the way, from Bob Dylan the first time they met him.

When we listen to the Beatles, the speed of their progression from A Hard Day’s Night to Sgt. Pepper’s is impossible to miss — it happened in just four years. How did they develop that fast? Consider that the first of those records came out in 1964, on one side of the Uranus-Pluto conjunction, and the other in 1967, on the other side of the conjunction. That was the very momentum that was driving Adam and his creative mind. He was able to give a voice to that chaotic energy of progress, and focus it into something cohesive.

This describes his mental qualities. The rest of his chart describes him as an emotional being: planets concentrated in the water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Let’s start with Pisces, because those are the planets that are talking most directly to his Mercury-Uranus-Pluto.

Planet Waves
The Beastie Boys at Club Citta, Kawasaki, Japan, on their Check Your Head tour, Sept. 16, 1992. Photo by Masao Nakagami / Wikipedia.

Part of the Sixties configuration included Chiron in Pisces. This was the peace and love influence on the Sixties — without it the whole era may have been pure hell. Chiron in Pisces fills in the spiritual piece, as well as the orientation on healing, and finally, it has a lot to say about the emphasis on music that was such a defining quality of that time in history. When we think of the Sixties, it’s music that we often think of first. Chiron was not discovered at the time, but it was an active influence in shaping both events and the spirit of the era.

Adam has Chiron in Pisces directly opposite his Mercury, Uranus and Pluto grouping. It’s right in the mix, balancing out his powerful intellect with true emotional depth. He has this placed in the 6th house of his chart, which is about art, risk-taking and all things passionate and childish. Chiron is conjunct Vesta, which adds the theme of devotion to his creative flame. [Note, in prior editions, I said this was in the 5th house. Apologies, I was confusing Chiron with an even more intense centaur planet, Pholus in Aquarius in the 5th. This was the sense of Adam as the genie let out of the bottle, how once he connected with his creative power there was no turning it off.]

Also in Pisces was Saturn, making a perfect trine to his grouping of planets in Cancer — which has an amplifying quality, and which provided him consistency and stability. Strong Pisces in one’s chart (and Chiron alone counts, especially if in aspect to other planets) describes a cosmic orientation, which is about neither religion nor spirituality — it’s experienced as something inherent about existence. This is apparent many other ways in his chart and, I believe, was a deeper force operating in his psyche than even being a musician or artist.

He also has a grouping of planets in Cancer — deeply personal planets that shaped his sense of being. These include Venus, Mars, the Moon and the North Node. This adds extreme sensitivity, emotional depth and a tropism for all things feminine. This is someone who was bonded to his mother through his life, and her influence was his point of orientation. No matter how chaotic his life, or his mind, may have been, her influence and what I can only describe as a presence of the Divine Mother were guiding him.

Planet Waves
Scene from The Sun Behind the Clouds, a recent award-winning documentary on the Tibetan struggle for freedom, which challenges the political theories of H.H. Dalai Lama. View trailer here.

The North Node adds a special property to the chart: the orientation on dharma, which you can think of as ‘correct action’ or acting as if to hold the world together. When someone has planets concentrated around the North Node, and if they are vaguely conscious, you can be pretty sure they are going to be pulled to live a dharmic life, associated with a potent sense of responsibility to all of existence.

His Moon, close to the North Node, is conjunct a recently-discovered Pluto-like planet called Orcus (named for the pre-European version of Pluto, and a deity from the cycle of gods associated with the keeping of honor and the enforcement of contracts). I believe it’s this Moon-Orcus conjunction that provides the quality of emotional depth and intensity that you see burning in his eyes in so many photos. And it’s that same conjunction to Orcus that drives his quest for justice on an emotional level. On the intellectual level it was merely common sense, for him anyway. Lots of people feel that intellectual drive for justice with no special motivation to do something about it. Action usually comes from the empathic or emotional level, the feeling that one must take part, rather than the idea.

Finally for the water signs, he was born with the longterm Sixties visitor Neptune in Scorpio. I think of this as the sex-drugs-rock and roll influence of that era, though it added a touch of mysticism to the debauchery. Adam has this placement personalized by two asteroids that were in a long conjunction that year — Pallas and Juno. Though it’s fair to say that he was sexually lit up down to the last brain cell, those two asteroids suggest that he had many passionate, platonic relationships with devoted female friends. Juno also describes social justice, Pallas describes politics, and Neptune mingles this with the numinous — with a sense of cosmic mystery. This shows up many other ways in his chart.

What is it that helped Adam take this energy and offer it to the world in such a big way? I think it’s the presence of personal planets grouped in and around so many much larger generational influences. This is someone who took everything personally. He was not able to separate himself from the world, or from what he perceived as his responsibility to the world.

And that, if you ask me, was an accurate perception. As is said in Eastern tradition, dharma is the path to enlightenment. With the Uranus-Pluto square coming on at full strength, that is an idea to remember.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

Additional research and writing: Michael Ackerman, Theresa Geteles and Sarah Bissonnette-Adler. Special thanks to Kiino Villand.

 

Planet Waves

Drops of Jupiter (in Taurus); Venus Stations Retrograde

The sky continues to put on a spectacular show in Taurus, with Mercury being the most recent planet to join a concentrated grouping there. It joins asteroids Vesta and Ceres, a lunar point called the osculating apogee, plus the Sun and Jupiter.

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Io, one of Jupiter’s Moons that is about the same size as our own (and which may have geological conditions similar to those present on early Earth), is shown against the face of Jupiter. This Sunday, the Taurus Sun makes its only conjunction to Jupiter in Taurus for a very long time. Photo by Cassini Imaging Team, SSI, JPL, ESA, NASA.

Speaking of: the latter two points — the largest in our solar system — join together on Sunday in their one-and-only conjunction in Taurus. There can be just one conjunction of the Sun and Jupiter each year, and since Jupiter takes a year to go through one sign, that means this is the only Sun-Jupiter conjunction in Taurus till May 19, 2024.

So if you’re born under this sign, or if you’re a fan of Venus, or if you love and appreciate all of the good things that Taurus has to offer, this is a happy moment. In truth this will influence everyone slightly differently, though it represents a windfall or opportunity of some kind for everyone. Soon after this event, Jupiter moves onto Gemini.

Speaking of Gemini: Venus stations retrograde there on Tuesday. This is the third inner-planet retrograde of the year, though it’s a special one — it includes the Venus transit of the Sun on June 5. Venus then stations direct on June 27, just three days after the first of seven Uranus-Pluto squares. Gemini is an inherently androgynous sign, and we are going to get a taste of what it’s like to embrace that quality. Venus, perhaps the most feminine influence in astrology, penetrates the Sun as it makes its exact conjunction on June 5.

We are also in the season of eclipses across the Gemini-Sagittarius axis, which happen just prior to the Venus transit. The first eclipse takes place within hours of the Sun’s ingress into Gemini on May 20, a little over one week from now. More on these events next week.

 

Planet Waves

Obama Bursts Out of Closet, Supports Marriage Equality

Wednesday, President Obama became the first U.S. president to declare his support for same-sex marriage. He had a little help from his boyfriend Joe Biden, who had come out of the closet a few days earlier. Obama at first insisted that they were just friends. But then it turned out he really did agree with his political partner — and was taking social justice lessons from his kids. In an interview with ABC News, Obama credited his daughters as indirectly influencing his decision, saying, “Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently. It doesn’t make sense to them. And frankly, that’s the kind of thing that prompts a change of perspective.” Obama addressed the issue just days after Vice President Joe Biden declared his support for same-sex marriage, which had set off new calls for Obama to clarify his position. Obama still says the issue is to be decided by individual states. Earlier this week, voters in North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, while in Colorado, Republicans blocked a same-sex civil unions bill in the state House, prompting Gov. John Hickenlooper to convene a special session beginning on Friday. These people protest a bit too much.

 

Planet Waves

Someone is Actually Paying Attention in Vermont

Vermont is set to be the first state to ban hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. Fracking is a process of drilling for natural gas that is known to pollute groundwater supplies, destroying the land and home values in the process. Vermont representatives voted last week to approve the ban, reconciling differences with a similar bill passed in the state senate.

Planet Waves
Once again I will inflict this photograph on you. Fracking is a disgusting mess, and blatantly stupid as freshwater supplies run out. This is the tidy side of things — above the ground. Below the ground, this shit is injected into freshwater wells, and can destroy the water supply for a whole community. This photo is from a recent article in New York Law Journal, which describes the legal nightmare of fracking for mortgage holders.

Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin is expected to sign the bill into law. While there is not currently any fracking being done in Vermont — since the state lacks the abundant natural gas sources found beneath New York and Pennsylvania — the state’s shale formations along Lake Champlain extend from Quebec, where fracking has occurred, according to Alternet. Environmental activist Bill McKibben offers a wider view of why the ban still matters: “A ban on this process makes sense, if for no other reason than it will keep the oil industry from pumping lobbying dollars into the state.” Well, there are many other reasons besides that.

In related news, new climate data shows the period from May 2011 to April 2012 was the warmest ever recorded in the United States. The average temperature over the 12-month stretch was nearly three degrees Fahrenheit above last century’s average. The United States has also just experienced the warmest March on record. Among the negative effects of fracking is the release of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to global warming.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves

We Could Have Told You That — Or Did We?

Excavating for the first time in the sprawling complex of Xultún in Guatemala’s Petén region, archaeologists have uncovered a structure that contains what appears to be a workspace for the town’s scribe, its walls adorned with unique paintings — one depicting a lineup of men in black uniforms — and hundreds of scrawled numbers. Many are calculations relating to the Maya calendar.

One wall of the structure, thought to be a house, is covered with tiny, millimeter-thick, red and black glyphs unlike any seen before at other Maya sites. Some appear to represent the various calendrical cycles charted by the Maya — the 260-day ceremonial calendar, the 365-day solar calendar, the 584-day cycle of the planet Venus and the 780-day cycle of Mars, reports archaeologist William Saturno of Boston University, who led the exploration and excavation.

The project scientists say that despite popular belief, there is no sign that the Maya calendar — or the world — was to end in the year 2012, just one of its calendar cycles. “It’s like the odometer of a car, with the Maya calendar rolling over from the 120,000s to 130,000,” said Anthony Aveni, professor of astronomy and anthropology at Colgate University, a coauthor of the Science paper. “The car gets a step closer to the junkyard as the numbers turn over; the Maya just start over.”

The scientists say the symbols reflect a certain world view. “The ancient Maya predicted the world would continue, that 7,000 years from now, things would be exactly like this,” Saturno said. “We keep looking for endings. The Maya were looking for a guarantee that nothing would change. It’s an entirely different mindset.”

Source: Physorg.

 

Planet Waves

Even UAC Knows There Are Two Zodiacs

Remember that whole “your sign is wrong” hoax that put astrology in the mainstream media in early 2011, nearly shutting down the Planet Waves servers for a few days? Part of the answer to the confusion that ensued was that there are two main types of astrology. Western astrology, what we (usually) do at Planet Waves, aligns with the seasons; Vedic, or what is practiced in India, aligns with the constellations. Hence, you really do have two Sun signs, depending on which type of astrology you’re using — but there is much more to Vedic astrology than that. UAC 2012 (the United Astrology Conference, set for New Orleans the week after next) has scheduled a whole track of workshops devoted to Vedic astrology, designed to be accessible to Western astrologers. There are 18 sessions in all, covering topics such as: Vedic Astrology and Psychology (David Frawley), What is Your Dharma or Purpose in Life? (Bill Levacy), Unconventional Relationships (Bill Levacy), Vedic Medical Astrology (Suhas Kshirsagar), The Importance of Mars in Kaliyuga (Chakrapani Ullal), Intro to Vedic Palmistry (Juliana Swanson) and Jabbering Away in Sanskrit So You Sound Extra Spiritual (Eric Francis). You can read descriptions for all 18 sessions here.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves

Stephen Colbert interviews Maurice Sendak earlier in 2012. Sendak died May 8.

Maurice Sendak (1928-2012)

Since 1963, children have ventured into the world created by Maurice Sendak in Where the Wild Things Are and felt understood in all their frustration, rage, love, loneliness; their desire to have authority over themselves and those around them; their need for freedom and their need for safety within four walls. Sendak died Tuesday at the age of 83. In January, he was interviewed at home by Stephen Colbert (part two is here). In the midst of Colbert’s ironic shtick and Sendak’s crusty bluntness, it’s clear that he had great respect for children. He remarks, “There is something in this country that is so opposed to understanding the complexity of children. It’s amazing.” That lack of understanding gets played out repeatedly each time Sendak’s book In the Night Kitchen gets banned for showing a naked little boy, complete with penis, frolicking in his dreams. According to playwright Tony Kushner in an interview Thursday on Democracy Now!, Sendak has a copy of the book in which a librarian had whited-out all of the penises in the illustrations, creating ‘diapers’.

 

Planet Waves

Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

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

 

Planet Waves

Friday, May 11, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #903 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
 

Taurus Birthdays This Week

If your birthday is anywhere in the neighborhood, this year will have a questing quality, or the feeling of being larger than life. There is strong activity in all three earth signs, which are providing you with a sense of grounding for whatever adventures you may embark on. You can be sure of one thing: that this is not the time in your life to invest your energy in preserving or clinging to the past. Rather, you’re being summoned to take part in experiences that draw you into the future. The Sun’s conjunction with Jupiter is offering that quality of expansion beyond what is familiar to you. Yet both the Sun and Jupiter are conjunct Sedna, a relatively new (and distant) discovery that represents the less trusting side of human nature. I suggest you not make your decisions on the basis of expecting something perfect to come along, but rather on the basis of what seems interesting or even exciting, and let one thing lead to the next. If you approach life with curiosity rather than the drive for achievement, you will learn more, have more fun and in the end, accomplish something interesting. Keep a light (and open) heart at the same time you fulfill your commitments. To learn more about your astrology for the next four seasons, listen to my birthday reading for Taurus, which includes an hour of astrology and a tarot reading.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — The more I study people and their experiences of crisis, the more it becomes obvious that nearly all struggle emerges from lack of self-worth. The trap that people seem to fall into over and over again is believing that their self-worth comes from someone else. Your self-worth comes from you. Usually it doesn’t come across in one revelation, but rather in a series of discoveries made over time. You’re ready for a significant revelation about who you are and why you belong on the planet. You’ve been on the brink of this breakthrough for a long time. Yet the relationship question has been a complicating factor. It’s true that contact with others is an essential part of life, and that people provide both reflection and opportunity to learn. It may be true that no one situation is perfect, yet there are many in your life that add up to a perfect constellation of circumstances for what you need.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — This weekend is the Sun’s annual conjunction to Jupiter — the only one in Taurus for the next 11 years. That’s the astrological picture of a rare gift coming to you (and the image of a very, very special birthday). Yet there are those moments when the astrology looks brilliant yet there seems to be some underlying issue. One thing to be careful of is the sensation that nothing is ever good enough. This may seem like a peculiarity of our society, though it’s been an issue for so long that it’s recorded in mythology. Sometimes it’s the feeling of abundance coupled with imperfection; or it could be the feeling of having a strong presence in the world, yet you are trapped or isolated. The beauty of life can, at any time, be complicated by self-doubt. And if you feed it, that’s the emotion that’s sure to grow. If you emphasize and explore your life-affirming emotions they are the ones that will grow — in a spectacular way.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — The sky is warming up to a series of rare, amazing and most of all beautiful events in your sign, and your opposite sign Sagittarius. Have you felt the vibrations approaching, and the pace of events accelerating? I suggest you not worry if certain elements of your life seem unstable, uncertain or on the brink of some unexpected change. That said, you may just be feeling the approaching astrology as a sense of adventure. My suggestion as we approach these events is that you hang loose. I suggest you remain as flexible as possible, and surround yourself with people who make flexibility a way of life. There’s no way you can really plan for what’s coming, and in times like that your superior skill of human adaptability is your best asset. Keep looking at things — as in people, events and most of all, yourself — from as many viewpoints as you can. Move forward using curiosity like the bright headlight on a train, and know that nothing can stop you now.

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

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This is the weekend to spend as much time as you can out of the house. Circulate and socialize. Be your natural, expressive and emotional self. Notice the people around you and notice who notices you. Take any opportunity to be around people you’ve never met before, and stand in your confidence as you make one discovery after the next, and open yourself up to being discovered. If you’re someone who digs the Internet, take at least two or three occasions and put out something vividly real about yourself — what you consider your best creative work, your true vision or your deeper feelings about the world and where it’s going. Share your talent for the pleasure of doing so. We are in the midst of some rare astrological conditions that will help you send a vividly clear signal to exactly the right people. And while you’re doing that, keep your ears on and listen for what comes back to you.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You have some kind of professional opportunity that’s developing — and it looks like many people can benefit from what you do, or what happens to you. Please don’t make the mistake of doubting what’s possible. The truth is that anything is possible, and right now you’re a magnet for potential. One key is to think large, or larger than you might. I’m always surprised by how small many people’s concept of big turns out to be, so I suggest you amplify the scale of your idea by an order of magnitude. What works for you, and what always has, is to stay close to the core of what your life means, and what you want to express. What’s happening for you is not about success as usually defined by those with a mind for business. The theme is artistic integrity, contact with your values, and your natural role as a leader. What you’re leading with is your concept of what actually matters to you the most — so remember to put that first, foremost and perhaps, only.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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

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

Planet Waves

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

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

Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

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

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — What is the difference between religion and spirituality? Usually, religion is about itself, and spirituality is about exploring the nature of existence, and in particular, of your existence. Religion is about the values that are put on you, or enforced by some form of authority, and spirituality is about you determining what is meaningful in your relationship to existence. Yes, it takes a lot to stand up to outside influences, and to decline the many opportunities we have every day to sell out our power, our passion, our deepest values. You can at least count on one thing: you’ve cultivated a dependable relationship to life. Said another way, you have built a solid relationship to yourself. Anytime you feel guilty for doing what is right for you, you can be entirely certain that you’re hearing an antiquated voice of authority trying to con you out of what is not just rightfully yours, but what is in truth all you actually have: existence itself.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — I suggest you be open to receiving. There is plenty coming your way, though you have the choice whether to allow it in or not. One reason you might hesitate is because vulnerability means you would have to be open to any possibility, and while you sense many wholesome ones, there are a few of which you’re somewhat less trusting. You can still be open and use discernment. You can be aware without being suspicious. You can choose what you want from among the many options — though I suggest you choose what you truly desire. For that to happen, it will help if you make some decisions, or at least refine your ideas about what you want. Closer to the central point of your astrology, it will help if you’re open to the generosity of others. It’s true that there always may be better opportunities available, and nothing can stand in their way except for your own doubts.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — One of the rules of our society involves what I will call mandatory exclusion. For example, imagine you’ve been single for a while, and you meet someone you like. Then the next day you meet someone else that you like. There would seem to be some unwritten law that says you can only choose one of those people, to the exclusion of the other. Into this mix is often added guilt and shame in a diversity of formulations. Now, let’s consider your here-and-now reality. You are curious, or so it looks from your solar charts. Your imagination is on fire. You may be so consumed with desire that you doubt your ability to think clearly, and thus to make a good decision. Here is an idea to consider: You have the right, and the ability, to experiment without making a ‘permanent’ commitment in the process. This is, however, less about the expectations of others and more about what you’re willing to allow yourself to experience and feel.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — It’s better to regret the things you’ve done, rather than the things you haven’t done. Looking up the author of this quote, passed on to me by my Sagittarius yoga teacher Zosha, I discovered that it was being attacked as shallow and unphilosophical. As an astrologer who works with people at their points of decision, and also through their phases of being stuck, I propose that it’s pretty good advice. The refusal to dare slowly drives many people insane. Over the next few weeks, many opportunities are going to make themselves available to you. Some — not all — of them will be once in a lifetime, though what they will all have in common is that they are part of what is defining this moment of your personal history. Yet there’s a bigger story unfolding — a global story, something about humanity being at a threshold, and something about your participation in that experience. At the very least, pay close attention to what you hear when life is calling you.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — Have you ever paused to wonder why so many people seem to have heart attacks over the whole gay thing? What, exactly, is the shock, that anyone might be attracted to anyone else? We could extend this to mixed-race situations, differences in generations and people of wildly diverging political persuasions for whom this fact is blotted out by the love they feel for one another. The power of attraction is working magnificently in your life right now, and the crazier the diversity, the better. Any hangups of the past can be seen as precisely what they are — somebody else’s bad idea, based on nothing but fear. Taking this to a more personal level, I suggest you experiment with going past any anxiety you might have about who or what you’re attracted to, or who is attracted to you. The weirder, the more interesting, the more unconventional, the more fun you will have. For extra pleasure, play with the idea that everyone is a mirror.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — The Grateful Dead used to sing, “If you get confused, listen to the music play.” The current astrology says: “When in doubt, make your living space nicer.” Obviously you have more than this on your mind, including a diversity of concerns about where you’re at, whether you’re really making progress and what you’re doing with your life. Right now the astrology is showing me a picture of you putting down roots, of expanding into your space and of treating your living environment as if it’s your body (i.e., lovingly). Maybe have a small, spontaneous get-together in your home on Sunday evening, inviting over a few of your closest friends and maybe a few new ones. This specifically should happen in your personal space, not a public space of any kind (even if you may think your home is not up to par — nobody will care). Practice gratitude for the dry roof and the door that locks as the path to enlightenment.

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — Have you ever had the experience of being able to write something into existence? You describe something: a person, an adventure, a scenario, and somehow it manifests. Or you say something to a friend, admitting to a desire, and then by some process you don’t understand, you have the opportunity right in front of you. That’s what your charts look like right now. You can play with this to your heart’s contentment. I would make a few suggestions, though: don’t take fear so seriously. Give it a voice, and move on to your descriptive process. Stretch your imagination, and reach into the spaces where you feel the most curiosity or thirst for missing experience and imagine, in some tangible form, what it would be like to explore them. And if by some chance you’re a writer, take some time this weekend, give yourself some space, and start the project that you really, truly want to do (and if that’s already started happening, turn up the energy).

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

In Praise of Trees

Here’s a sprout well budded out / the work of our Lord’s hand

Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re approaching one of the most impressive Full Moons of the year — the Scorpio Full Moon, which this year happens Saturday, May 5 at 11:35 pm EDT. Presently the Sun is at the sensitive balancing point of the season, located halfway between (Northern Hemisphere) spring equinox and summer solstice. This time of year is known as Beltane, though in our particular year, the Moon comes along and makes an exact opposition to the Sun. What we get is a peak in the solar cycle (the seasons) coinciding with a solar-lunar cycle (the Full Moon), which is unusual and which carries a lot of momentum with it. It’s also a Full Moon at perigee — the closest point to the Earth, so visually it’s going to be a big one.

Planet Waves
Flourish by Charlie Lemay.

Taurus and Scorpio are zodiac signs that specifically address the subject of resources, and the exchange of resources, whether you’re speaking of the planet itself, what humans exchange in commerce, through sex or in genetic material, and by extension, the economy that gathers around all of this activity.

We had a similar event on May 5, 2008, when there was a New Moon on Beltane, in the midst of a rather eventful year when we got a big reminder about our shared resources. At that time, there was something brewing that was quaintly referred to as the “subprime mortgage crisis.” A lot of banks, sucking cheap money out of the Federal Reserve Bank, had provided easy credit to many people who could not pay the mortgages back. The availability of cash was like throwing kerosene on the fire of American greed, and many people bought lavish homes though they could not afford them.

The lenders took millions of those bad mortgages, bundled them together and sold them as securities, that is to say, as “investments” made by other banks, companies and governments — but they were worth nothing. These entities were sitting on a cosmic-scale garbage dump of rotten paper — which meant that as a result, the entire economy was sitting on quicksand. Some institutions had half their total portfolio in these “products.”

This situation led to the bursting of the housing bubble — the absurd inflation of housing costs that seems to have been going on since the 1980s — followed by widespread liquidity problems that rippled throughout the global economy. The financial sector and indeed nearly every industry was reaping the benefits of its philosophy of globalism. We learned fast that what happened to one entity could affect any other entity.

The problems came to the surface undeniably on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, when Lehman Brothers announced a third-quarter loss of nearly $5 billion (in one fiscal quarter). By that Sunday, Lehman had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and what we now call the Great Recession was underway. Many banks were in crisis, over-leveraged and with no available cash to lend one another or anyone else. Trillions of dollars in bailouts, generated from debt charged to the citizens of the United States, were given to many financial institutions and AIG, one of the world’s largest insurance companies. This was the “financial 9-11” at the bitter end of the Cheney-Bush administration: the biggest bank robbery in history.

Planet Waves
Ceremony by Charlie Lemay.

The astrological upshot is that there was a New Moon preceding this on May 5, 2008, with the Sun exactly at the midpoint of Taurus. I kept looking at that chart knowing it might be big, but I didn’t understand why. It seemed significant that there was a New Moon on Beltane, a holiday associated with honoring the only true material wealth, which is the abundance of the Earth.

Yet in the technical sense there’s something else significant about this point in the calendar. Events that occur with the Sun at the midpoint of any season create what is called an Aries Point effect, where there is often high-impact news of some kind that resonates on a deeply personal level with many people. The effect is not always instantaneous (though sometimes it is).

For background, the Aries Point is the first degree of Aries (the position of the Sun at the spring equinox), and by extension the first degrees of any of the cardinal signs (Cancer, Libra or Capricorn as well), which form a cross. Each time a new season begins, the Sun touches a point of the cross. These are called the quarter days, also known as equinoxes and solstices.

When you bisect those points, you land in the middle of the fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). Those are called the cross-quarter days. They are sensitive spots which can energize the Aries Point, and point to events with far-reaching effects. Notably, almost all holidays are concentrated around the quarter days or the cross-quarter days.

This is where we are now. On Saturday, the Sun arrives in the same position as it was in 2008, four years to the day later. But just as the Sun reaches the midpoint of the season, the Moon comes along and makes an opposition to it (the Scorpio Full Moon).

We are once again in an election year. And, once again the world is on the brink of what we might politely call a financial threshold, though this time the problem seems to be centered in Europe. Spain just had its bond rating downgraded two notches from A to BBB+, and the Netherlands is on the brink of losing its AAA rating. Yannis Palaiologos, an author at Prospect.org, writes that, “This would lead to a rise in the cost of borrowing not only for the country but also for the EFSF, Europe’s rescue fund, which depends on guarantees from the dwindling number of AAA-rated Eurozone members for its high credit rating.”

Planet Waves
Something Fishy by Charlie Lemay.

On Sunday, France seems poised to elect a socialist president. This would mean someone in office who is not as friendly to German president Angela Merkel as Nicolas Sarkozy, the current president, has been. Sarkozy has in effect been allowing Germany to run the finances of Europe through the debt crisis.

On the same day there are parliamentary elections in Greece, expected to inject far-right and far-left influences into the political environment (some “sick puppies,” in the words of our Athens correspondent). This would break up the two-party system there and could alienate crisis-besieged Greece from the Eurozone.

Meanwhile in the United States, Republicans are campaigning on a platform of cuts to social programs, increased taxes on the poor and reductions in the size of the federal workforce, ostensibly to help the economy — but which are certain to have the opposite effect. They’re also waging war on women, immigrants and anyone whose sexual orientation differs from what they claim theirs to be. Given this, it’s really weird to hear predictions of a close race.

And, into this mix, we are adding the Full Moon right at the midpoint of the Sun’s transit through Taurus. This is of course influencing us in personal ways as well. Other astrology suggests that many people are making decisions about, or are in crisis over, their most intimate relationships. This has been brewing for a while, though much of what was swept under the rug is coming out, sometimes with passion, urgency and decisiveness.

Remember that we’re in the spring of 2012 — from here on out, the large-scale events increase in frequency, with the Uranus-Pluto square ever in the background, running high-voltage current through the Aries Point. We’re just weeks away from a series of eclipses and one month from the transit of Venus. Speaking of: Venus is an influence directly related to Taurus, to earthly resources, to wealth and to value. The transit of Venus on June 5 describes a kind of revaluation, or at the least a rather deep and sweeping re-evaluation.

Instead of using astrology to be predictive about these events (it’s tempting, and many will be tempted to be negative, basing their future predictions on what’s happened in the past) I think we need to be visionary. No matter what goes wrong on the planet, or what messed-up things people do, it’s people who solve the problems and people more connected to life who invent new ways of life. Eventually over time, there seems to be very slow progress. Yet we are now at a quantum point. The combined creative intentions of even a few people can be magnified by the rapidly rising energy — which brings me to trees.

The economy as we think of it is a study in exchange, but it seems to me that the real exchange on our planet involves trees. This is true in the biological sense of the word, and economic (most people live inside houses made from wood) though trees are sentient entities, many of them centuries (or millennia) old that ground profound information onto the planet.

Planet Waves
Renewal by Charlie Lemay.

Despite its reputation for frisky erotic play among neo-Pagans, Beltane is really a tree holiday. That’s the theme that many related holidays around the world at this time of year share — a celebration of trees. “This is Spring Growth Mother Earth Green Day,” says Donna Henes, author of Celestially Auspicious Occasions, who was my guest this week on Planet Waves FM.

“The spring cross-quarter day is all about growth. Spring equinox is about birth, and the mid-spring cross quarter day is about the exuberant, vibrant, hormonal kind of growth. That’s the link between the tree and the sexual frenzy that we associate with the May Pole. It’s a celebration of the new green, the growth of life, of life on Earth and Mother Earth, the Creatrix. The tree is a universal symbol of life, from Buddha being born, receiving enlightenment and dying under the tree, and on and on.”

The tree is celebrated as an entity that reaches deep into the ground and at the same time reaches to the heavens. It is a bridge between Heaven and Earth, with its growth nourished both by the light of a star (the Sun) and the solid mass of the planet where it has its roots.

In Pagan times, this was celebrated many ways, including with the May Pole dance. The pole is of course made from the trunk of a tree that is draped in garlands, to which are attached long ribbons. The dance involves everyone holding one of the ribbons and then weaving the web of life, circling the pole in an obvious celebration of the phallus. But there’s a lot more going on as well.

The Catholics adopted the May Pole celebration into Holy Cross Day, celebrated May 3, a Catholic version where they turn the tree into a cross (the Catholics have versions of all the Pagan holidays), which is a bigger deal in South America. “Throughout Latin America, they celebrate it as Cruzelacu, in midspring, which is a nature appreciation holiday. A cross is decorated as the May Pole would be, with ribbons and flowers, and sometimes flags, jewelry and dresses,” said Henes.

In the 1640s, there was an act of the British Parliament banning the May Pole. The law assailed the “heathenish, vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness” of the dance. The Restoration brought back May Poles, and there was a huge one erected in The Strand in 1661, which required the strength of 12 soldiers under the personal supervision of King James II. This was a 134-foot cedar pole. Then in 1717, it was moved to Wanstead Park in Essex, where it became part of the support of Sir Isaac Newton’s telescope.

Planet Waves
Pas de Deux by Charlie Lemay.

“It was still serving the original symbolism of the tree, which is rooted in the ground and reaching into the heavens,” said Henes.

In contemporary Brazil, May Day is celebrated by designating a particularly powerful tree and decorating it with white flags.

The Liberty tree is a common symbol for several North American tribes. In the late 1800s a movement began to unite the tribes and present a common front to expel the white man. They created a ritual called the Ghost Dance where they circled around what they called the World Tree.

There’s also a Jewish holiday called Tu B’Shvat, which celebrates the birthday of the trees. In contemporary times, funds are raised and trees are purchased and planted. It’s a national tree-planting holiday in Israel, which has a national obsession with re-planting the desert.

On the other side of the world, there is a Chinese festival called Ching Ming, or the Bright and Clear Festival, where graves are cleaned and trees are planted near the resting places of the ancestors.

Finally, there’s a worldwide holiday that you hardly hear about any more called Arbor Day. On the first Arbor Day, held in Nebraska on April 10, 1872, an estimated one million trees were planted.

That’s a good thing — trees do nothing but support life on Earth. They are integral to the biosphere. Without them, life on Earth would not only collapse — we would all be a lot dumber than we already are. Researching the biological themes, I spent some time on the North Carolina State University website yesterday and this is some of what I learned.

One large tree can provide a supply of oxygen for two people. At the same time, a tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, and can sequester one ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old.

Forests supply over 50% of freshwater flow in the lower 48 states. According to USDA Forest Service estimates, some 180 million people — more than half of the United States’ population — depend on forests for their drinking water.

Planet Waves
Wall by Charlie Lemay.

In addition to providing oxygen and water, trees keep the air breathable. Over one year, an acre of forest can consume the amount of carbon dioxide created by driving a car 26,000 miles, about twice the annual mileage for an average driver. An acre is pretty large. It’s a good thing that in the U.S., forests cover 749 million acres. That’s nearly 33% of the nation’s land. When the United States was first settled, they covered 46% of the nation’s total land area.

We would be in a symbiotic relationship with trees, were we not chopping them down so fast. Symbiotic means both parties to the equation benefit from the relationship — and trees do benefit from our presence and offer themselves to us for many purposes. At the moment, we seem to be getting most of the benefits of trees, but we also seem to be missing a larger point.

There’s a dimension to trees that some people have encountered and others have devoted their lives to. One such person is Elisa Novick, who you may have already encountered in a recent edition of Planet Waves FM. Elisa reminds me of an other-worldly cosmic entity that I might have met in a science fiction novel, except that she’s a real person working as a healer on the planet. Here is how she tells the story of her first meeting with a tree in a forest in upstate New York, not far from where I live.

“Walking down a mossy forest path, I was met by a powerful wave of love emanating from a magnificent oak. So began a fascinating multidimensional odyssey spanning 10 years, as a small patch of forest became my happiest place in the universe and a place for healing and awakening for many,” Elisa wrote in an email to me yesterday.

“Each tree has a unique personality and gifts to bestow. Trees hold keys for the survival and thriving of the Earth. They created the conditions for us to live on this planet and can do so again if we ally with them.

Planet Waves
X Chromosome by Charlie Lemay.

“Learn to receive their healing love and converse with them and support them in their mission. Let’s not assume that if our ears can’t hear, that there is nothing spoken. Attunement is the next language of communication — with people, plants, animals, and the cosmos.

“My hope is that if more people understand that trees can be sentient and have healing and spiritual abilities beyond anything we have imagined, we will nourish those that are still alive and replant our bountiful forests. Not only the other half of our lungs, they may be the other half of our hearts.”

Elisa has the ability to communicate with entities that don’t use what we consider the normal senses. Here is what an oak tree in that forest said to her:

“In another world we were lovers, you and I, in dimensions too difficult to describe, but all things come around and we are brought together for a reason when it is correct and useful. Now this planet is dissolving in pollution and all are suffering to some extent. But there is always renewal available. You have renewed our context here on this planet by your thoughts and good wishes and we wish to stay now; though we have scouts foraging for another wilderness to ‘set up shop’.

“We are always prepared, as your Scouts say. Funny that you should mention contingency plans at your breakfast today. But in this spiritual realm, there are no contingency plans, no plans, just the unfolding of a reality that is long known, but never planned. How can I say that this is true? Or how to be fortunate enough to be enlightened/privy to this information? The known comes forth as it reveals itself out of the Great Plan, but it is never planned ahead of time; just revealed in its true glory, fully formed. Then it develops by choice, will, playful endeavor; curiosity; happiness. It is creativity in this making, Universal, powerful urges move through all, causing creativity to flourish in response, like leaves to the sun and wind forces. We move, too, we trees, as we are called by the greater plan, but have many choices and happiness rules the moment as to when and where we plop ourselves down and give of our happiness to the Earth or other spaces.”

A maple tree said:

“Many of your species have noticed that we (trees) are not doing as well as we used to; our leaves are dying from your poisons and our roots are also feeling the pinch. The water is no longer fully wholesome from soil or sky and we don’t like noise that is unnatural and vibrates our roots badly. But we continue to pour forth love and healing chemicals and go about our nature/natural lives in pursuit of a ‘higher ground’, a place wherein we become greater selves. Our development spiritually and consciously is all-important. As we develop, we develop new abilities and can bring forth great wonders energetically and also to the physical manifestation.

Planet Waves
Revealed by Charlie Lemay.

“Call us forth. Please don’t deny yourselves this ability to call forth nature’s finest consciousness, its abilities to heal itself and the world. This garden planet is unique in its resources for higher consciousness and verdant growth possiblities. It provides great stamina and strength to its species and has an integration unlike any found. It can sustain great damage and heal itself, but it cannot sustain continued or even sporadic damaging; conscious and unconscious.

“So be well my friends. Come forth in your glory and you will find us waiting in glory to welcome you and live in harmony and grace (yes we know grace; we form it every day); we exude this natural grace. Solemnity is not part of that, but laughter, playfulness, ease and lightness of being; we are creative and naturally curious and we love the Christ consciousness coming through every pore of this planet’s existence. It is what the planet is made of after all. You must broaden your idea of what it is; your ideas are so narrow and limited. Widen and enlarge your awareness and you will find Me (Christ) in every cell of every plant and every stone and every being that exists, animal, dolphin, whale, etc.”

You can read more of these messages in this PDF that Elisa has prepared for Planet Waves readers.

The author Hermann Hesse seemed to be onto the inner life of trees as well. “Trees are sanctuaries,” he wrote in his book Wandering. “Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.

“A tree says: A kernel is hidden in me, a spark, a thought. I am life from eternal life. The attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in my smallest special detail. A tree says: My strength is trust…I trust that God is in me. I trust that my labour is holy. Out of this trust I live.”

Lovingly,

Eric Francis

PS: You can meet Elisa and her tree friends in June. She and the trees will be teaching their attunement skills in her Tree Love: Heart of the Forest workshop, scheduled for June 10 in Rhinebeck, New York. This is easy driving distance from New York City, Western Massachusetts, Albany, the Hudson Valley and many other locales. I am planning to be there, participating and photographing. Her email is: elisanovick@thrivingplanet.org.

 

Planet Waves

Mercury is Conjunct Eris; Scorpio Moon All Weekend

Today Mercury is conjunct Eris. If you have a writing project or any communication endeavor that is calling on you to be especially clever or surreptitious, today’s the day. Mercury is working its way into an opposition to Saturn, which is one of the features of this weekend’s Full Moon in Scorpio, which takes place Saturday at 11:35 pm EDT.

Planet Waves
Selene Rising at Sounion, the temple to Neptune near Athens, Greece (summer 2011). Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Today the Moon is in Libra, and forms an exact conjunction to Saturn at 2:02 pm EDT, which happens in a close opposition to the Mercury-Eris conjunction. This seems to be a reminder not to get bogged down in your emotions, expectations or ideas about the rules. Rather, think in an original way, which usually means the way you want to rather than the way you’re supposed to. You might fear consequences; you might be accused of being less mature, though usually clever trumps well-behaved.

As the Sun moves toward the exact midpoint of Taurus, it does so in a conjunction to an odd point called the Black Moon Lilith, or the ‘osculating apogee’ of the Moon. The Sun is picking up on the shadowy side of the lunar nature, which could make you conscious of your misgivings about expressing yourself.

Have you ever noticed when you say and do something that exceeds what you’ve done in the past, feels extra expressive or which you fear some might feel is ‘appropriate’, you get a little blowback of guilt or misgiving? That’s what Sun-Black Moon Lilith might feel like. It’s also an opportunity to be at peace with some of the darker aspects of human nature, without getting subsumed by them or acting them out.

The Moon enters Scorpio at 10:19 pm EDT and ‘full phase’ officially begins, according to the Office of the Full Moon. The Moon picks up trines from Neptune and Chiron in Pisces, which looks a lot more clairvoyant than the psychic hotline. And the Moon makes an opposition to Vesta in early Taurus, suggesting that your intuition just might have a purpose to serve tonight. Then the Moon, in quick sequence, makes aspects to Mars, Uranus and Pluto, finally reaching exact opposition to the Sun Saturday night in the United States and early Sunday in the UK, Europe and points east; early Sunday afternoon in Australia (please check local times).

Because the Sun is conjunct the lunar apogee, that means the Moon (which is opposite the Sun) is conjunct the perigee (its closest point to the Earth), which will give it a large appearance on the horizon. It’ll feel large too — as the Moon moves deeper into Scorpio, it makes an opposition to Jupiter in Taurus, which will sustain this lunation’s passionate emotions. Whatever you’re feeling, let yourself flow. There is progress in the air, and movement, and a gentle rising up and release from situations that seemed to have you caught on the rocks.

The Moon ingresses Sagittarius at 9:28 pm on Sunday, May 6, starting a new story that we’ll pick up in Monday morning’s edition of Daily Astrology on Planet Waves.

 

Planet Waves

Planet Waves
Occupy protest in Manhattan, May 1, 2012. To hear the Tax Dodgers sing, be sure to click this link. It’s worth it. Photo by Beth Bagner.

Occupy Rouses Itself for Global Action on May Day

The spring awakening of the Occupy movement rallied around the traditional labor holiday May Day on May 1, calling for economic justice and humane immigration reform. Several actions in New York City convened in Union Square and then marched to Wall Street, with 40 people arrested. Thousands marched in Los Angeles.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, Occupy protesters called off their plan to shut down the Golden Gate Bridge, instead joining picket lines organized by labor groups. In Oakland, that city’s reputation for violent protests unfortunately continued as some demonstrators vandalized property and police fired tear gas. San Francisco also experienced vandalism blamed on the Occupy movement.

In Seattle, protesters wore black and ran through streets disrupting traffic and breaking windows. Large protests across South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia also observed May Day.

Newt in Permanent Suspended Animation

We bid a fond farewell to The Newt, who has suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination after a long career of tearing the fabric of American politics to rags. Does anybody ever just quit the race? Gingrich’s whole campaign was basically an attack on Mitt Romney, and he could not quite bring himself to endorse him.

Planet Waves
This is a Siberian salamander. We just put in the picture because he’s much prettier (and a stronger candidate) than Newt. Photo: BBC.

“As to the presidency, I’m asked sometimes, ‘Is Mitt Romney conservative enough?’ And my answer is simple: Compared to Barack Obama? You know, this is not a choice between Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan. This is a choice between Mitt Romney and the most radical, leftist president in American history.” We are still parsing that out.

He is trying to make Obama seem like Fidel Castro, when he’s really been the buddy to the banks, the conglomerates and the National Security State.

This leaves Ron Paul, the anti-choice “libertarian,” as the sole challenger to Romney. Paul, a congressman from Texas, has a young, energized cult following. He could end up being a spoiler independent candidate who splits the Republican vote. We shall see what Mercury retrograde on Election Day serves up.

 

Planet Waves

One Order of Arsenic Fried Rice, Please

Planet Waves
Finally, brown rice gets a bad reputation — it has more arsenic than white rice.

Researchers at Dartmouth College have found high levels of arsenic, a poisonous metallic element, in rice. While the levels are not enough to kill a person quickly, researchers are cautioning against eating a lot of products that may contain rice in several forms — such as brown rice syrup, plus rice flour, plus puffed rice. Arsenic occurs naturally in ground water, and apparently rice has a particular ability to concentrate that element. The situation is worse in brown rice, which has a higher concentration than white rice (the stuff apparently accumulates in the hull).

This is not funny. Rice accounts for 20% of the caloric intake of the human population. The problem first surfaced in Bangladesh, where there are high arsenic levels in the water, and where more health problems have been documented. U.S. rice is also a concern, since rice is often grown in former cotton fields in which arsenic-based pesticides were frequently used.

The concern is greater for babies and children, since they eat more food per pound of body weight, they are growing quickly and are often fed rice cereals and formulas. Two years ago, British authorities told their citizens not to feed rice milk to children as a precaution, but in the U.S., where there are arsenic standards for drinking water but not food, authorities have not made any such statement. The FDA is now sampling rice across the country; the agency said results should be available in a month or two, or at the latest by 2043.

 

Planet Waves

Pholus Still Dogs Rupert Murdoch and News Corp

Rupert Murdoch’s phone-hacking scandal, which has thrown his media empire in Britain into turmoil, may be reaching American shores. As we suggested in an article last year, the astrology assured us this would be the gift that keeps on giving [read Planet Waves coverage here]. Trying to undo the effects of Pholus (a centaur planet that’s running this scenario) is like trying to stuff shaving cream back into the can, only in this case it’s the biggest scandal in modern media history.

Planet Waves
Rupert has a Pholus problem.

Lawyer Mark Lewis, who helped expose the scandal in Britain, said he is partnering with U.S. lawyer Norman Siegel, who has been investigating the possible hacking of 9/11 victims’ cell phones by the British tabloid News of the World. Lewis told Democracy Now! that many complaints against News Corp in the United States stem from the now-defunct tabloid. There have also been allegations against Fox News and other News Corp holdings.

Lewis said he is now representing four clients who believe their phones were hacked while visiting the United States. Notably, Murdoch is an American citizen. His U.S. holdings also include The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal.

Robert McChesney, co-founder of national media reform organization Free Press, told Democracy Now! this week that the Senate Commerce Committee is giving indications they may follow up on British research to see if News Corp is legally fit to hold 27 broadcast licenses in the U.S. “The idea that [Murdoch] became a Brownie Scout when he crossed the Atlantic from England is absurd,” McChesney said.

“In every known area of his business and professional conduct as corporate manager, everything has pretty much been identical in the United States as Britain, with the exception of the eavesdropping and the wiretapping. We know he is the poster child of crony capitalism, of using his power as a media mogul to press politicians to get sweetheart deals.”

 

Planet Waves

Beginners Will Get Lucky at UAC

Have you been reading our notices about the UAC conference, finding yourself interested but a little intimidated? Among the many, many workshop offerings, there is a track devoted to novice astrologers called the Beginner’s Sun-Sign Track.

Described as a one-day-only, full-day program, it allows astrological beginners to hear lectures from some of astrology’s leading speakers on entry-level topics. It offers four workshops. Susie’s Sun Signs, presented by Susie Cox, offers a “modern, positive, fresh approach to the basics.” Birthing Venus Within: A Mythological and Elemental Perspective, presented by Barbara Schermer, begins with Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, since the painting marks the moment the goddess “takes on the mantle of the zodiac,” and traces the myth “to understand her manifestation in your own chart.”

Understanding the Planets: From Moon to Pluto by Rick Levine covers the ten traditional planets and how they bring the signs to life. Aspects and Major Configurations by Erin Sullivan breaks down various combinations of planets in a ‘grand’ formation: grand cross; T-square; grand trines; yod; kite configurations, and their relationships. Registration for the rest of the conference includes access to the Sun-Sign track, however this track also has its own separate registration for those who prefer not to attend the rest of UAC.

 

Planet Waves

In Our Next Episode: How To Stop A War in Lebanon

When you’re a woman living in a country where regular armed conflict keeps claiming the lives of husbands, brothers and sons, what recourse do you have to avoiding more war? Nadine Labaki, writer and director of Where Do We Go Now?, explores the balance between humor and grief in her movie about how creative women might get.

Planet Waves
Scene from “Where Do We Go Now?” by Nadine Labaki.

In the movie, Lebanon’s Oscar 2012 selection, village women resort to all sorts of ploys — including hiring a group of Ukrainian strippers — to keep the men distracted from waging yet another religious war.

Labaki, born in 1974 in Lebanon, describes growing up in that time and place as complicated, with nothing making sense. She cites a situation a few years ago, in which religious conflict escalated into bloody war for a few weeks after two decades of peace, as inspiration — along with the news of her own first child. “The situation is sometimes so absurd that you cannot help but laugh about it. Humor becomes the remedy — the only way to distance yourself from the situation, to measure your flaws and hopefully to start healing.” We learned about her on MSNBC’s Republican morning show this week discussing the film, life in Lebanon and the absurdity of war. (Mika — thanks for getting this on the show.)

 

Planet Waves

Find Your Current Monthly Horoscopes Here — and Schedule News!

This section also includes the upcoming publishing schedule! The May monthly horoscope (long edition and an article called “The Lighter Side of Taurus”) was published Wednesday evening, April 25. The most recent Inner Space monthly for May was published Tuesday, April 27. We published Genevieve Hathaway’s most recent Moonshine Horoscope (for April) on Tuesday, April 3. There will be a new one this coming Tuesday. All Tuesday editions are now being published to the subscriber area only and no longer being distributed by email. The next monthly horoscope by Eric will be the June edition, to be published the evening of Wednesday, May 23. There will not be a regular edition that week — and there may be additional changes to the schedule due to the UAC conference, which we will be covering on Planet Waves FM.

 

Planet Waves

A Celestially Auspicious Occasion: Donna Henes Interview

This week’s edition of Planet Waves FM covers the astrology of the Full Moon, and then has one of the most amazing interviews in the history of the program.

Planet Waves

This is a fantastic edition, featuring an interview with Donna Henes, author of the book Celestially Auspicious Occasions. Donna knows a lot about the natural holidays — the equinoxes and solstices, as well as the cross-quarter days (the Pagan high sabbats). We’re now in the season of Beltane so this is the perfect time to have her on the program.
Donna is also the author of Dressing Our Wounds in Warm Clothes and The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. I will let this program speak for itself.

Here is your program in the old player, where you’ll find the full archives and a downloadable zip file. You can access many past editions of Planet Waves FM at this link.

 

Planet Waves

Friday, May 4, 2012. Weekly Horoscope #902 | Eric’s Zodiac Sign Descriptions
 

Taurus Birthdays This Week

If your birthday is anywhere in the neighborhood, your solar charts suggest that you’re close to the point of resolving an impasse. This is unlikely to look like the members of a collective bargaining process emerging from the room and holding a press conference. Rather, you are resolving something within yourself, which is good because you need to shift your energy to an even deeper series of changes that’s approaching. For a long time you’ve lived with a split in your reasoning process, your values or your goals. This split has manifested in the outer world in many frustrating ways, and your psyche now has built up significant momentum toward letting that whole scenario go. Most of what you’re encountering in the immediate sense is what I can only describe as the fear of yourself. That could be annoying, considering that you’re the one person you have to live with every day. Taureans are often described as possessive. Here is a clue as to how you can let go of this particular fear: just remember, you cannot possess yourself. To get your full Taurus birthday reading by Eric Francis, you may visit this link.

Aries (March 20-April 19)

Aries (March 20-April 19) — You seem to have turned a corner this week, after much thought and some agonizing. You were dealing with a situation that went deeper than was obvious on the surface, which was related to a matter of deep healing. You worked out a lot, yet the one question still lingering from that scenario is: what have you learned about how you do endings? And what does that say about how you approach beginnings? And have you been able to identify the connection between the two? One question that your charts are offering involves what you do when you reach an impasse or a mental block of some kind. How do you handle that sensation? The second question involves what you do when you think you lack confidence, or more to the point, when you’ve convinced yourself that you do. Confidence is about having faith, and that is not an option — your only option is where you choose to invest it.

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

Taurus (April 19- May 20)

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Take a practical approach to any situation or challenge in your life, particularly if you reach a point where you don’t know quite what to do. What appears to be an obstacle is not just an opportunity; it’s also the approach to a breakthrough point. While this is not merely a ‘trick of the mind’, how you think about matters profoundly influences how you perceive them, as well as how they develop. I suggest you be wary of any situation that involves a tease, seems out of reach or unavailable (an asteroid called Tantalus showing up vividly in your charts right now). I am not suggesting you avoid or run from any circumstance fitting that description, rather that you apply consciousness and the power of choice. Desire is a beautiful thing, though this is the time to ask yourself whether what you desire will bring you happiness, and if not, what you might choose to further that worthy cause.

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

Gemini (May 20- June 21)

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Loyalty is only worthwhile to a point. The thing to ask yourself is, in being loyal to someone else, are you betraying yourself? This could be about anyone, though your charts suggest that the situation involves an authority figure, or a parental figure, of some kind. Consider this question carefully, because it illustrates a distinction that’s often blurred or even obscured entirely in the global crisis of self-esteem. I suggest you question the matter of authority, to begin with. If someone has this distinction, how did they get it? Did you grant them any power, did they take it, or was it in the fine print of the relationship agreement? It’s not too late to get out your magnifying glass and read the text carefully. And you’re right on time to make sure that even when you encounter or engage with someone who seems to be more powerful, or in a high station in life, you maintain your position as a fully-fledged human being — but only if you say so.

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

Cancer (June 21- July 22)

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This weekend’s Scorpio Full Moon is an invitation to new adventures. The thing about adventures is that they’re not predictable, and there’s often a mix of experiences — though as you’ve learned in the past, it’s silly to let that stop you. It seems like one challenge you’re facing involves acknowledging what is past, and allowing it to be so. Any factor of ‘this cannot be’ or ‘I cannot have this’ is very likely the result of your reaching backwards, rather than embracing the future with an open heart and an open mind. There is also a fear factor involved, or rather what more accurately looks like the fear of fear. Said another way, negative expectations always work against you. While it’s a good idea to ground your positive expectations in something solid, the negative ones serve no useful purpose. They do reveal something useful about your relationship to history, or what may turn out to be ancient history.

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

Leo (July 22- Aug. 23)

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — Emotional fulfillment really is the challenge here in the Western world. Nearly every external influence we encounter is designed to stoke desire, often to the point where we don’t know what to do with ourselves once one of those desires is met by what might satiate it. I suggest you figure out what to do, if you’re wondering, or if you find yourself pursuing one ‘need’ after the next. Your solar chart illustrates the image of a life that, if not perfect, has many of the necessary elements for contentment. What you might need to do is assemble the ingredients in a mindful way, or at least notice their presence. Often the experience of reaching for more is about reaching for something in the past, which in truth you cannot touch. Yet what surrounds you now is a bold comment on what is possible. Compared to the state of affairs many other places on the planet, you are doing very well. The more open you are to receiving, the more you will feel that.

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

 


Spring Checkpoint: Individual Signs Now Available

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

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

Planet Waves

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

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

Each sign gets a half-hour discussion. These came through loud and clear, with strength and meaning. I spent a week designing and recording them, and I am grateful to be able to offer them to you as a tool to help you guide your decisions, as you seek deeper meaning along your journey.

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

Signs are now available individually for an amazingly low price, cheaper than the paper shopping bag costs at Jimmy Choo — order your reading here. The report is getting rave reviews from people who are currently working with it, including these words from a customer named Donna: “OMG — thank you thank you thank you — just spent this morning listening to my [Spring Report] info, and am so blown away by the accuracy (and relief!) in this experience. Thanks so very much for your part in supporting this work and for showing up in the way that you do!”. Here is the link to order.

Please drop us a note if you have any questions.

Lovingly,

Eric Francis


 

Virgo (Aug. 23- Sep. 22)

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — You’ve been cautious about expressing what you want, and about acting on it too boldly — and until now that has been a wise policy. You might say that your desires have been fermenting below the surface of your consciousness, as you’ve worked out the calculus of what amounts to commitment. For most, wanting something, someone or an experience is more like a whim. Your desire nature moves your whole being, and that is what’s happening now. You may have the sensation that you’ve been aggressive about what you want, though I suggest this really isn’t true; for quite a long time you’ve been involved in trying to figure out what direction to go, and giving yourself permission to make a decision. Let that decision guide you; let it be a point of orientation. This will set many things in motion, and eventually you may notice that what you want is moving toward you. It will change in the process: be open to that when you finally meet up with whatever it is.

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

Libra (Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — The thought process of someone close to you seems to be encountering you as an obstacle. Being an accommodating person, this is not an easy situation for you to be in, though you know that you have to hold a limit or set a boundary, and you’re conducting yourself in a way that is arguably mature and grounded. Remember, though, that you’re a work in progress — and just how much progress that implies is something you will discover soon enough. Meanwhile, when someone approaches you with an idea, please be open minded. You don’t have to respond like a parent talking to a child; you can take a more playful or experimental approach. Imagine that you live in a vastly larger world, among more people with whom you are truly in affinity. Imagine if you really lived the truth that anything is possible. Then, you might recognize that any idea could potentially be a brilliant idea.

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

Scorpio (Oct. 23- Nov. 22)

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — In order to be in a relationship with someone, it’s necessary to be at peace with who they are, which covers many levels of existence. It’s also necessary to be at peace with what their existence reveals about you, which is another way of saying being comfortable in your own skin. That said, I would propose that you be careful and aware in any situation where you have a long list of misgivings. The solution to everything is not to fix it or work it out or make it better. Sometimes the solution is to recognize that there’s an incompatibility, and use that as your new starting point. And, sometimes you will actually find yourself in a situation where you can know that there is a connection that can develop. Remember, though, that the first step is to get over your own insecurities, which I know is a tall order on this particular planet at this particular time. Yet events this weekend seem custom-designed to help you do just that — and then make a decision about where you really stand.

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

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Set your course toward something more than survival, or enduring a less-than-perfect situation. In fact you do endure and you do make the most of your circumstances, though the time has arrived to take a more generous approach to existence. I would call your attention to a possible feeling or notion that a particular realm of emotional contact is somehow off limits to you. By that I mean emotional on the erotic side of the spectrum, where the deepest exchange is possible. There are many factors that could lead to this fear, though none of them actually limit you: the only things that do are your own unacknowledged beliefs. When you discover one of those beliefs, which might poke its head up for a fleeting moment, take a good look at it and ask yourself what it is. Then make up your mind about whether it’s true. The past may be the most dependable predictor of the future, but if you make that a way of life, nothing will ever change.

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

Capricorn (Dec. 22- Jan. 20)

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — How do you respond when others act like they are totally insecure? It’s tricky enough to even notice when this is happening. People display their neuroses in all kinds of creative ways, sometimes as bravado, sometimes as approach-avoid behavior, and sometimes as inconsistency. Often to figure out what’s going on below the surface, it’s necessary to be truly discerning, which means to see past your own subtle fears. It’s even safe to assume that people are going to be coming from an unstable or uncertain place, expecting the world to count them out of the game. The more encouraging you are, the more willing they will be to reveal their vulnerability, and thus take a step into authenticity with you. You can, with no damage to yourself, define one of your primary roles as being supportive of the ideas and plans of others — even if it’s moral support you’re offering. This will take a lot of pressure off of your social environment.

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

Aquarius (Jan. 20- Feb. 19)

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Unfortunately, the term ‘unconditional love’ rarely means what it purports to say. It represents an ideal, and we may indeed get there — but for now, I suggest that you be fully aware of, and honest about, any conditions you have on any of the intimate situations in your life. This is not about being mean or controlling; it’s about being real with yourself, which is the one and only prerequisite to being real with others. Understanding your conditions means understanding your values. There is a direct connection between the two concepts; one is the outer expression of the other. By bringing these things to the surface of your awareness, you will be able to make better decisions — and you seem to be considering an important one now. Here is one specific theme to add to that equation: are you hesitating because a risk you took in the past did not work out? What is your relationship to this whole business of taking chances?

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

Pisces (Feb. 19- March 20)

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — You may feel a standoff coming, though that’s not necessary if you keep your focus, speak your truth and refuse to allow fear to guide your actions. With those few objectives as your point of origin, there’s little that can stop you from doing what you want, harming no one and with a clear conscience. You may experience the events of the next week or so as a test of your integrity. Or you may be treated to an adventure that’s the reward of the work you’ve done going back many months — a phase of true achievement. One thing your charts indicate is that you’re discovering what it’s like to be met with energy similar to your own, whether in personal relationships or creative collaborations. Said another way, your charts are developing into an extended point of contact with the world around you, which holds the opportunity for you to express your potential in ways that are truly meaningful.

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