Tag Archives: Weekly Update

A Whole Lotta Scorpio

Dear Friend and Reader:

The Sun will be in Scorpio for a couple of more days, though this is no ordinary journey of the Sun through this sign. Last week we experienced the first eclipse of the Sun in Scorpio since 1995. At the same time, Mercury is retrograde in Scorpio. Over the weekend we experienced an event that blended the two — Mercury and the Sun formed a conjunction on the North Node of the Moon.

Photo by Eric Francis.

While this has been happening, Saturn is in Scorpio for the first time in decades. So we have an abundance of this energy in the air, and it happens to be one of the most challenging signs for dimensions of the psyche to encounter.

It’s the place where our society sweeps all of its taboos — all the things you cannot talk about at dinner: sex, death, financial matters, jealousy, secrets, control and surrender. Yet as much as there is taboo to Scorpio, there is an irresistible attraction. It’s a draw into the unknown, the forbidden, and the realms of pleasure that we may crave but will rarely admit to any other person. There are indications that this whole field of thought, feeling and experience is opening up, for both introspection and sharing.

One challenge that often comes up with strong Scorpio energy involves boundaries. We’re taught to curtail the whole discussion of anything related to this sign — so to open up the aperture at all can feel like pushing the edge.

If you’re aware that you might be doing so, that’s a good sign. I suggest you err on the side of going a little too far rather than holding back. The nature of what I’ll call the Scorpio problem specifically involves keeping secret the things that we need to talk about more openly.

Mercury retrograde is on a journey of discovery. It’s time to have the conversation with ourselves that we’ve been avoiding, potentially for a very long time. When you look at the list of topics covered by Scorpio, consider the way we’re taught to deal with most of them — denial or feeling powerless, or alternately with greed and the concentration of power. Mercury retrograde in this sign is an inquiry, and it’s one that many have been craving.

The rulers of Scorpio are also on the move. Mars is the traditional ruler, and it ingressed Capricorn Friday evening. This puts the planet of drive, aggression and the outward expression of desire into the sign of its exaltation. It’s an effective place for its energy in general, but the move also puts Mars in position to rev up the Uranus-Pluto square — the 2012 aspect.

Super Full Moon over Cape Sounion (the temple to Poseidon), near Athens May 5, 2012. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Mars will make a 90-degree angle to Uranus (on Friday) before making a conjunction to Pluto several days later. Pluto is considered by most astrologers to be the modern ruler of Scorpio, so we will experience the two rulers of this sign in a conjunction.

Mars getting into the Uranus-Pluto square is sure to stir things up, as if they need it. Look at what’s going on between Israel and Hamas for one expression of the energy. There are more constructive ways to express this, though they all involve being honest with yourself about what is going on for you emotionally, which includes sexually.

It’s all happening just as Venus moves into Scorpio as well, where it will head for a conjunction to Saturn. Here we get an opportunity to unravel and perhaps understand the power aspect of sex — the one that makes sex the least like itself.

As we ride through all of this, I suggest you keep a close watch on your emotions, your sexual impulses and your relationship to any idea that threatens you. This is no ordinary astrology; we haven’t seen Scorpio energy like this any time in the past 20 years. And for most of those 20 years we’ve swept everything that Scorpio represents under the rug.

So for many, this will seem like too much all at once. If you’ve gone out of your way to bury the things that Scorpio represents, which in the emotional realm are some of the most visceral, poignant feelings we experience, this may be painful. The thing to remember is that denial and blame will not work. This is the moment when you have to take responsibility for your feelings, your desires and your choices. Now is your chance to be honest with yourself.

If you’ve been consciously working with Scorpio energy, you may find yourself on an adventure in these days and weeks. It’s just essential that you apply maximum consciousness as you do. Keep the level of communication high; make sure you listen to see if you have a real understanding with the people with whom you’re in intimate situations; and take every opportunity to reality check.

Lovingly,

Moonshine Horoscopes for November 2012 | By Genevieve Hathaway

Note to Readers from Eric: These horoscopes, written by our global correspondent Genevieve Hathaway (who is now in Australia), are based on your Moon sign. To look that up, enter your birth data into Serennu.com. It helps to have your birth time but it’s not necessary in most cases. I suggest you also read your Sun and rising signs.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — A creative idea has been gently pushing to the forefront of your mind lately. This thought is unique in the world and may feel a bit daring, if not dangerous. Sensations of this nature stem from it being untried and untested. I suggest you not mistake those factors for a sign of potential failure, but rather, an indication that what has been developing inside of you is needed in the world. This idea relates to the larger world on a global scale, yet is also deeply personal to you. Take the time over the next few weeks to thoroughly plan the execution of your idea. More information will be made available and will impact how you introduce your concept into the larger world. Focus on your inner compass, which tells you this concept has a place — rather than on perceived questions about approval, which is nothing more than a popularity contest. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Aries — 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 Aries birthday reading, please visit this link.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Currently, any ‘issues’ that seem to arise in relationships have more to do with material you’re working through internally than an actual relationship dynamic. You are in a place to heal a number of deeply rooted wounds surrounding trust and intimacy which were previously hard to reach. As you work through this material I suggest you not project your internal state and struggles on a partnership; instead, involve the person in an open dialogue about what you are working through. Holding the space open for yourself to heal and another person to walk this journey with you will also strengthen an existing partnership. The feeling of connection you’ve looked for in a relationship will deepen through standing in your vulnerability and sharing that with a close partner. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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) — Your Moon sign, drawn as the double bars or twins, is inherently dualistic. For you, existence is experienced through two distinct emotional bodies, easily sliding from one to the other or sometimes spanning both. This condition in your Moon can feel like a nuisance, but it gives you much in the way of emotional energy to draw on — you have two internal ‘selves’ to care for but also two internal ‘selves’ to draw on for energy. The recent eclipse is bringing an even larger charge of energetic resources than you normally operate with, as though someone swapped your usual nickel batteries for some portable solar panels. Use this new boost of energy to lay the groundwork for a number of projects you’ve been considering starting. Look where you wish to go with intention, and then power that vision with hard work and plenty of creative fire. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Sex is supposed to be fun. Let me say that again — sex is supposed to be fun. Unfortunately, too often the fun part gets sidelined by guilt, shame, fear or worrying about whether you’re playing ‘the game’ right. If any of these issues arise over the next month I suggest you not get distracted or drawn into them. Focus on sex being about a loving exchange with another person and with yourself. Leave any projections of how partners think or feel out of the equation and instead approach sex from a place of curiosity, openness and authentic desire to share with another. Maintain a constant commitment to honesty and hold space for others to do the same — this will help all parties move shadow material aside. Actions and attitudes taken over the next few weeks will be setting patterns both in you and in partners for years to come — establishing sex as a fun, loving and self-esteem-building experience. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Cancer — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — I suggest you see your current role in a project as the collector of information. Those around you are pushing to take a leap even with all the information not yet known. Operating from the place of having all the facts is always important for a project’s success, and currently you are in a position where information will be coming to you. As the next few weeks progress collect the bits of data that come your way. This is less about seeking out answers and more about applying patience. Like putting a puzzle together, initially you can’t see what the image is because you only have a few pieces, but as each piece gets laid down soon the entire picture becomes clear. Once you can see the whole landscape you’ll be in an excellent position to lead the endeavor forward, taking in all calculated risks. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Leo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — As children we grow up in a location usually beyond our choosing, and for many people, remain there throughout adulthood. Place is not only about the trees, grass, shrubs and lakes around one’s home; it’s also about the community around us, the energy in the landscape and the values our neighbors hold. I suggest you think of your locality as a place where you consciously choose to live. Approaching where you call home from this perspective raises a question — what criteria do you use to determine where you live? Over the next few weeks as situations arise which address this question, keep a mental list of what you value most in your local environment, both city and neighborhood community. An opportunity will arise to make a few subtle changes to your surroundings, which will go a long way in helping to make the area you live in resonate within you on a deeper level. It will boil down to connections with people. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) —
We tend to think of our thought processes as part of our conscious self; something we have control over. Yet, how often does a thought enter your mind and then you mentally correct yourself? How often do you seem to have an internal dialogue or debate with your own thoughts? Lately many of your mental processes are coming up for review — these are the thoughts you seem to have before you have a chance to think them. These thought patterns contain many of the themes you inherited from your parents. What you have at the moment is perspective, or put another way, it’s like you’re up on a hill and you can see all of the landscape from horizon to horizon. You can see your thought patterns laid out: not only their structure, but also where in your family (going back generations) they came from. Take time to examine mental patterns and restructure those that are not actively supporting your authenticity. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Libra — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link .

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — A door has opened within you, allowing you to move through the layers of other people’s themes and issues to get to your core epicenter. This avenue into yourself is less a windy, spiraling staircase downward and more like an old-fashioned elevator — the kind of contraption with a grate that you slide shut, allowing you to see the levels passing by as the metal box moves lower and lower. Observe what you move through as you explore deeper into yourself over the coming weeks. Don’t stop to visit each level; keep the metaphorical elevator moving, knowing it will stop where you need to be. Your astrology is calling you, on many levels, to be authentically you and no one else. This journey into yourself is taking you there. Anything short of a complete commitment to this mission will be difficult to maintain. — by Genevieve Hathaway

Hello Scorpio — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). To hear your birthday reading for the year ahead, please visit this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Enjoying healthy sexual fantasies is part of being an emotionally balanced person. They allow us to explore many of our authentic and creative sexual needs that may be logistically challenging to experience directly in day-to-day life. Currently, your sexual fantasies are quite vibrant and rich; the thin membrane between your core essence of self and your energetic sexual self is particularly permeable, allowing these parts of your energetic body to merge and mix. Put another way, as you mentally explore your sexual fantasies you will come into contact with your authentic self, learning more about what makes you unique — and also reaching a well of creativity. The more sexually honest you are, the deeper you will be able to push into yourself, bringing you into contact with a stronger sense of feeling good about your sexual identity. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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) — Your unconscious is currently a very busy place, with a lot going on just out of reach. It’s like you can barely brush your fingers against what you are trying to access; you’re getting a small, tactile sensation of the information, yet it’s a little too far from you to actually take hold of. Internal pressure is driving you to want to know what this information is. I suggest you resist the urge to get frustrated. With time and patience, what you need to know will rise to the surface for you to examine. Slowly making its way into your consciousness are familial emotional patterns and their impact on you in needing to portray a self-sufficient, strong exterior. As you take note of what you learn over the coming weeks, keep one thought in the forefront of your mind: you are worthy of the emotional support you desire. The key is not to stop asking for it. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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) — With Saturn’s move into Scorpio, the landscape of your professional life began to shift. The recent solar eclipse in that same area of your chart has made it feel like someone hit the fast-forward button on the set changeover. Events are occurring quickly, and for a Moon sign that finds emotional grounding in structure and routine, this rapid professional change can feel disconcerting and destabilizing. Instead of putting your energy into trying to hold all the moving pieces, focus on the aspect of your work that is artistic — creating something unique, different and that resonates deep within you. Tapping into your root of authentic originality and vision will give you an anchor with which to ground your emotions, while also manifesting in your professional life that which will be greatly satisfying for you to produce. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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) — You’re currently working through what may initially appear as a point of tension regarding your highest career goals. I suggest you think of this less as something wrong, and more as an opportunity or opening to cover a lot of ground in reworking your attitude toward your highest professional calling. This opening is not obvious when looking directly at what you are trying to work through; it’s a door that your intuition and creativity will find. Step sideways and the optical illusion will shift for you to see the door and slip through. From this new angle you will have a unique viewpoint on your professional goals, the kind of perspective that will let you reform your career expectations in a way that aligns you more with your authentic self. You are in the process of inventing a career path that is well suited to you and your gifts. — by Genevieve Hathaway

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

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Total Solar Eclipse in Scorpio

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Today’s edition is a recap of the total solar eclipse that takes place today, Tuesday, Nov. 13, at 5:09 pm EST. It is the first solar eclipse in Scorpio since 1995.

I’ve condensed some of the key ideas in a few different articles for this letter. [Here is an article that covers the brass tacks of the astrology in summary form.] One reminder I would offer is to use this energy to visualize the life you want; to consider the changes you want to make; and to summon yourself into harmony with the flow of life, which — combined with your clear intentions — is what will get you there.

The Sun’s corona surrounds the total solar eclipse in Leo on Aug. 1, 2008. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Before I get into the personal attributes of this event, notice what’s going on in the collective mind — a sex scandal involving someone who was the head of the CIA, a shirtless FBI agent, and as of this morning, John Allen, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan.

Only a rare total solar eclipse in Scorpio could come with this line from an Associated Press article, referencing the comments of a senior defense official — “He would not say whether they involved sexual matters or whether they are thought to include unauthorized disclosures of classified information.” If you’re an astrology student, you file this whole event under “Introduction to Scorpio.” But of course there is more.

This eclipse is conjunct an asteroid called Tantalus. It’s opposite one called Arachne (in Taurus). And it’s square a centaur planet called Nessus (in Aquarius). Each of these helps focus the theme of this event.
[Note to Scorpio readers, you can gain access to your 2012 birthday reading at this link.]

The last time the lunar nodes (which hint where eclipses will be) passed through Taurus and Scorpio was in 2003-2004. However, as occasionally happens, the cosmos served up a series of lunar eclipses in Scorpio, but no solar eclipses.

Seventeen years is a long time for there to be no solar eclipses in a sign — especially one as close to the core of human experience and consciousness as is Scorpio.

And now at long last we’re about to have one, which is sure to flush some of that rich silt up from the bottom of the river and out onto the flood plain, as well as fear, shadow material and anything else we may be hiding. When there are no solar eclipses in a sign for a long time, the feeling can be like pent-up energy behind a dam, which suddenly bursts when the eclipse happens.

With Scorpio, as mentioned above, this will include deeply personal material related to sex, death and the exchange of resources, including potentially the zones where all these things blend into one.

Solar chart for total solar eclipse. The eclipse is to the top right of the chart — the Moon is gray and the Sun is yellow. Here is a glyph key.

The eclipse is conjunct a point called Tantalus, an asteroid named for the Greek mythological figure. This is a complex myth, though the presence of this point in Scorpio essentially says to be conscious of anything that has a sexual tease. Tantalus is the source of the word tantalize, and the myth is a story of punishment through deprivation.

Nearly everything involving sex and sexuality comes with a tease, though often not the pleasant kind. Potential partners and existing ones can deprive one another of sex for a diversity of reasons. Many people are attracted to what they cannot have. Others concentrate power by using sex as a lure and then depriving someone of it. Often it takes two to play this game.

One way it manifests is in issues around availability. This might be a tendency to play with approach-avoid, which is usually a sign of guilt or shame. I suggest you monitor all the ways you make yourself unavailable and see if you notice a pattern, and can discern why you’re doing it. Are you being defensive? Are you afraid to be vulnerable? Are you trying to get power over someone, or to control yourself?

Opposite the eclipse is a point called Arachne, also an asteroid. Arachne represents a conspiratorial view of life, as well as the stories we tell one another, and the ones we accept. Arachne here is suggesting to be aware of the role of gossip (scandal is a form of sexual repression), and to be mindful of your fear of conspiracies. There is also a reminder here that we are all connected, something that humans live with every day and just as often deny.

Finally, Nessus is in the aspect pattern, square the eclipse. Nessus is a centaur planet, somewhat like Chiron in that its orientation is healing. However, Nessus is about trust, betrayal and the karma associated with these things. Nessus is in Aquarius, the sign of ‘what others think’, though it’s square the eclipse — this is about what you think others think. This could also represent what you take on from society, including the immediate society of your circle of friends, and how you let this shape you. Groups of very nice people can hold people to sometimes vicious, hypocritical standards. Yet for that to work you would need to cooperate, and one way to do that is by taking on the judgments of others, or their perceived judgments.

To end the tease, say yes when you mean yes and no when you mean no. The moment you find yourself saying something other than what you feel, or denying yourself or someone else against your desires, that’s a moment to let go. Sex is not an ulterior purpose, a bargaining chip or a reward. It’s a natural experience of life, and we would be a lot happier for treating it that way.

Chart for the total solar eclipse on Tuesday, including the minor planets, handwritten. Here is a larger version of this chart.

The eclipse seems to illustrate the release of aggressive instincts into something more constructively passionate. There is also the message not to take things so personally. We see this in Mars, the ruler of Scorpio (and thus of the eclipse) in Sagittarius — placed on the Galactic Core. Mars is a personal planet; the Galactic Core offers a wide perspective, even on a global or cosmic level. The GC operates in the background of everything.

One message here is that desire is cosmic in nature. It’s not a moral issue any more than breathing is, and like breath, it represents the forward movement of existence. What contacts the Galactic Core can have an exotic feeling, even seeming to be unattainable, impossible to describe or even feel in the usual sense. When you combine this with Mars, the result can be cosmic desire that’s yearning for expression in a human, physical and emotional way.

Meanwhile, Mercury is also in Sagittarius, in an especially interesting position: it’s square both Neptune and a hypothetical point called Transpluto. This is a message to question one specific lie: that your existence is wrong. This is a lie propagated by religion, for example in the form of ‘original sin’. Going back further into Jewish tradition, we have the idea of an omniscient God who is concerned with every last detail of what we do; the Jews thus invented guilt. If you’re Muslim, you would get the idea that your existence is wrong if you’re female (and there are plenty of messages coming through Judaism and Christianity to the same effect).

The alignment of retrograde Mercury, Neptune and Transpluto is an invitation to question this assault on nature in general and on your own nature. To do so, you will need to stay awake, stay with your feelings and know that self-criticism is the problem and not the solution. When in doubt, open up to yourself first and then to others.

The Moon ingressed Scorpio at 6:10 am EST Monday, where it picked up on Neptune and Chiron in Pisces and made a conjunction to Saturn in Scorpio. This series of aspects has a clairvoyant feeling; just make sure that if you have your remote sensors on, you are willing to deal with any information you pick up. On the other side, the mix of Neptune, Chiron and Saturn can have the feeling of giving tangible form to your imagination. This is the visioning factor, the best way to make changes in a creative way. Get it going.

Lovingly,

Planet Waves FM :: About Today’s Eclipse

Here is the regular edition of Planet Waves FM. I talk about eclipses in general, then address the fact of the first solar eclipse in Scorpio since 1995, and then the New Moon/eclipse chart. Toward the end of the program, I talk about what a scandal really is.

The lead article above provides a thorough written description of today’s eclipse. If you’d like to join a conversation about the themes of this eclipse, please visit the version of the article on the Planet Waves blog. I also have a short piece on the astrology of November that is worth reading.

I mention two books in today’s edition — Eros Denied by Wayland Young, and Games People Play by Eric Berne. These are books to read if you’re interested in going from unfree to potentially free.

Blue Studio on Nov. 11, 2012

Planet Waves FM :: Blue Studio Series (sex conversations)

Welcome to the first edition of the Blue Studio Series — an ongoing series of conversations about sex with Planet Waves readers. These are not really interviews; they are an exchange of ideas, in an informal, free-form format. Nora is a 56-year-old mom and grandmother, who has discovered her freedom and is now exploring erotic adventures. This discussion is about one hour. In this series, we’ll be hearing from people — so far, women — of a diversity of ages and sexual orientations.

If you have written to me about participating but have not heard back, please email me again at dreams@planetwaves.net with a clear subject header. In the frenzy of last week’s election edition, I may have lost track of a few contacts. Please let us know how you like the series, and you may direct any questions for Nora in the comments area; she will be reading, and will reply. — efc

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Voting is Not Enough

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Dear Friend and Reader:

Today is Election Day in the United States, long-awaited, anticipated and the focus of much anxiety. Today is the day to brave voting lines, interrupt your schedule, miss hours or a day of work, all to do what may seem futile.

We have a lot of problems in the world and as a country; as individuals we have plenty on our hands. Voting may seem like a small gesture — and it is.

Obama for New York headquarters in uptown Kingston. This small local office was the organizing base for a vast swath of the state, out to Ithaca and up to the Canadian border. Photo by Eric.

If you recognize that, and see it in perspective, it will be more meaningful. In last week’s edition, I explained the presidency through the experience of John F. Kennedy. It’s similar to what my Grandpa Sam Francis explained to me as a kid — the president is a figurehead position.

Yet it carries considerable power even as such — and your participation is more than symbolic. In fact your involvement is has influence on many levels, including locally and on the statewide level. Before you vote, take a quick look if there are any referenda on the ballot — some of the most significant issues are decided by the voters in many states.

It’s true that we’re seeing a broken system at work, one that was designed to keep the people as far from the electoral process as possible, and that has been fractured intentionally, and neglected, and abused. We’re about to see the extent of the problems.

We have the choice between two primary candidates who should disgust anyone with a shred of sense or sensitivity. One of them is in bed with Monsanto, imprisons people who distribute medical marijuana and signed the NDAA into law, turning the domestic United States into a battlefield in the War on Terror. The other is a mentally unhinged pathological liar and chronic tax evader who seems to have no values whatsoever, and who wants to buy the presidency and turn the United States into a religion-based country where women have no rights to control their own bodies, or their paychecks.

Yep, we have a few problems on our hands; many of the world’s most important issues were never even mentioned at the debates, much less discussed openly. Incredibly, you have to listen carefully to hear any indignation over this, when really there should be a thunderous roar. To commit even to the viewpoint you may already have requires acknowledging the depth of the problem and what seems like an impossible situation — and as Sting once said, there’s no political solution to a troubled evolution.

Politics is not the solution, but it’s a step on the way to adult awareness, part of which is civic awareness. I think it’s only marginally possible to participate in evolution — your own, and that of the planet, which are the same thing — and not in some way participate in the civic process.

Volunteer for Julian.

We need to do a lot else, as pertains to that level of reality — such as stop looking for the father we never had in the guy we think we want to be president. We need to hear political rhetoric for what it is. We each need to learn one or two of the important issues thoroughly, and get familiar with a diversity of others.

That means tapping into many sources, and sorting out the truth. I know most people are as likely to do that as they are to study the plumbing in their basement and figure out how it really works — but now is that broken pipe late on Saturday night moment.

This will take time, and it’s inconvenient, and I know that many people — particularly a significant portion of my readers — are what I call news averse. The [mainstream] news is designed to be aversive, frustrating and to skirt the real issues. This is true in a time when we seem to be facing a totally hopeless situation, and cannot even define the problems much less the solutions

You can say you want a better, fairer society, and you want the right thing to happen, though it’s not so convincing if you habitually withdraw your awareness. Being aware of current events is not enough; voting is not enough; volunteering is not enough.

Calling ourselves fully present, and participating in the ways we feel called by duty, conscience or creativity, is going in the right direction. I believe that politics starts at home, in our families, extending to our communities and into the companies where we work. The most intimate relationships have a political level, where people figure out how to share power. We can make choices and create new realities in these places, and then from experiencing that we can find the ways we have influence in the wider world.

Today is the day that most Americans get to vote in a public election. It’s our day to make that little investment, to sort out who really is the lesser of two evils, and know that less evil is better than more. It’s important to look at the actual accomplishments (as well as the flaws) with the candidates; size up party agendas; understand the tactics that are being used by each of those parties; and tune in to what’s coming through between the seemingly clever lines and flashy pictures.

As I quoted Pres. Dwight David Eisenhower as saying, “Politics ought to be the part-time profession of every citizen who would protect the rights and privileges of free people and who would preserve what is good and fruitful in our national heritage.”

Yes, and bring along everything you’ve ever learned from every workshop, self-help book, therapy session, ritual, ceremony, healing session and experience of personal transformation.

It’s time. It is time — now.

Yours, lovingly,

PS, I will be reporting on what we learn about the election on the Planet Waves Facebook page; you can find out about blog posts and Planet Waves FM by checking there. (If you join that group page, you can receive notices of new posts.)

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The Morning After Sandy — Eyes on the Election

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Cousins, Clients, Fellow Critters —

Greetings from Kingston. We have weathered the storm and as of a little while ago all of our servers are back up and running. Good thing for miracles. Today we’ve got your regularly scheduled Inner Space horoscope for you.

That said, would you please help us out with some election-related coverage? If you’re anywhere in one of the affected states, would you please keep an eye on any news relating to the presidential election, or local elections, in your state? Please send it to: info@planetwaves.net.

Nothing is too trivial. I am interested in what you think, what your neighbors told you, and anything vaguely interesting that you see on the Internet or in the local press. We’re also interested in unusual weather patterns over the past week, wherever you are in the world. This kind of networking is how we found out about the thunderstorm in Dubai yesterday.

Note, I have done a special edition of Planet Waves FM that covers the chart for Sandy making landfall. It’s quite the chart, and I will have more to say about it through the week and in Friday’s edition. Here is the version with the chart on the Planet Waves blog.

Stay in touch!

With love,

…and our intrepid crew at Planet Waves

Inner Space Horoscope for November 2012

Dear Friend and Reader:

This month opens up a new mini-era of astrology, characterized by three super-interesting and potentially world-changing events. The first is that Mercury stations retrograde on Election Day — the first time it’s ever done so on the day of a presidential election. Mercury will be retrograde from Nov. 6 through Nov. 26. Next is a total solar eclipse in Scorpio on Nov. 13. That’s new, at least going back nine or so years. All eclipses are moments of celestial speedup. This event will stir up all kinds of deep, inner secrets, desires and emotions. Take the ride with awareness. Finally, there is a Mars-Pluto conjunction timed with the Gemini Full Moon of Nov. 28. This is quite a combination; you may find yourself saying to others things you never, ever dreamed you would say.

Lovingly,

Your Monthly Horoscopes — and our Publishing Schedule Notes

Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes provide a broader perspective that surveys the themes of the coming month and often, weeks that follow. Inner Space for November is published in this issue. The November Monthly Horoscope was published Friday, Oct. 26. I recommend reviewing the monthly horoscope at the end of the month. Inner Space for October was published Tuesday, Oct. 2. The October Moonshine Horoscope was published Tuesday, Oct. 16. Please note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; Inner Space still publishes on Tuesdays.

Planet Waves Inner Space Horoscope for November 2012 | By Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) — It’s been written that a clever person learns from his or her own mistakes, and that a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others. You need to do both. You also need to learn from your successes, though to do that, you’re going to need to remember what they are. A beneficial exercise would be to bear in mind everything that you said you wouldn’t do again, and notice when you’re going in that direction. You’re approaching the point of a key decision that you could reverse; however, you will carry this one forward. Yet before you get there, you will get a series of ‘advisories’ from within yourself, and from your environment. Pay attention; this will be useful information in advance, though not in retrospect.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — You may feel that the circumstances of a relationship are now decidedly outside of your control, though if that’s true, I suggest that you pay close attention the ways you really do have influence over your life. The most significant of these is to make decisions, in a conscious and ongoing way. To make decisions, you need a basis for doing so, and that basis would be: does this help me, or does it hurt me? If you see things in such elemental terms, it will be easier to decide. If you notice that something both helps and hurts you, it would count for the latter — since what is helpful is actually helpful, doing no damage at all. Confusion around this is precisely the trouble that so many people struggle with. You don’t have to.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Before you declare a crisis or go into survival mode, consider the various factors of your situation carefully. You need to do this from four points of view, in order to get the whole story. The things to consider the most carefully are your goals — that is, what you want. If you persist with that, you’re likely to discover that these are more specific than you thought at first. Putting them into language and perhaps documenting some as sketches or photos will demonstrate that. Before you go into survival mode, consider how well you’ve survived up until now. That’s an indication that you need a lot higher, more interesting and in sum, more beautiful goal than merely keepin’ on keepin’ on.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Who do you say you love, and why? I suggest for a while, you put a moratorium on the use of that word, since it may be at the root of the biggest misunderstanding in human history. Rather, stick to trust, and make sure you have a tangible basis for that notion. Once someone violates your trust, even a little, it’s time for a discussion and for reconsideration. In that discussion, it’s essential that you listen, then speak your truth, and then listen again — in that order. While you’re at it, listen to yourself, and make any decision you make mostly on the basis of what you have said rather than what anyone else has said. You know your own truth, and it’s time you listened.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — This is one of the most significant times of your life for putting down roots, going deep into your feelings and making peace with the past. Yes, all of the above in one series of events, which has been underway for a month or so already. The transits you experience this month are not a passing phase or trend. They’re what I call threshold events, which take you from one place to another. You may be feeling like you’re living with an unusual sense of vulnerability and transparency (even by your standards). It’s clear that you’re likely to encounter certain feelings or facts from your past that are not pleasant, but these moments present an opportunity to be vividly clear with yourself about who you are and what you want — and the emotional pitch you want to set for your family.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — The best thing you can do is figure out the way your emotions are influencing your mind, and until you do that, avoid making important decisions. I suggest you focus on small decisions, to get the hang of making them, in what may seem like a new and unreliable psychic environment. Imagine you’re having a dream, but you’re not sure that you’re really dreaming. You decide to do a series of tests to see whether various actions you take get a predictable result. As you ride the aspects of the next month, including Mercury retrograde touching some of the most sensitive angles of your chart, keep doing those little tests of what is true for you. If you proceed with caution, listen carefully and refrain from pushing yourself, you’ll learn everything you need to make a series of brilliant decisions in the near future.

Hello Virgo — Eric has written a new description for your sign that you have access to from this link (no password needed). Did you miss your birthday reading? Use this link to order an hour of astrology plus a tarot reading by Eric.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Questions about the ways you value yourself, and express that value to yourself, are about to reach a new depth. If you haven’t read one of my self-esteem rants (or even if you have), I will state again that this is the biggest problem on the planet, and you’re now in a position to address that problem in a constructive way. You may have one of those moments (or a series of them) where you think: good gods, what would I have done, if only I placed a higher value on myself? If I respected myself more? I have news for you: there is still time. Opportunities to treat yourself correctly abound, and in truth, this is a journey you’ve already committed to. As a starting point, just make sure that you choose people who treat you with love and respect.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — This is the month when you finally get clear about what you think, and how you think — and discover that the only logical step is to do something about it. There are several connection points that I can describe clearly. One is connecting with your passion. Your charts are all about drive, which seems to shift one day from something abstract (spiritual comes to mind) to something more like four-wheel-drive. You are the driver, and you are sitting on considerable power. Yet to make the best use of it, you must blend it with equal parts pleasure, and regard for the greatest good for all concerned. When in doubt, that must be your default position; you’re now involved in something that’s a lot bigger than you are, and you must remember that.

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) — How far do you want to go, and how fast? You seem to be going at the speed of sound, at least, though traveling faster than someone’s voice can carry makes it difficult for information to catch up with you. You also seem committed to a certain point of view, though you can be sure this viewpoint could use verification, particularly given the recent discovery that you were either deceived about something, or deceiving yourself. You’re trying to figure out whether this was a misunderstanding of some kind, which is part of the fog that has rolled in lately. I suggest you be more attentive to your own motives and ‘subconscious’ choices, because you’re responsible for them in any event.

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) — Are you learning from your mistakes? That’s probably the most relevant question anyone can ask themselves, on our particular planet. (On other planets where creativity is emphasized over survival, it’s a less pressing issue — but we have a lot of learning to do here.) I suggest you start with the mistake you seem to make the most often. I have a hint that it involves who you choose to love, and moreover, why you choose to love them. The aspect of ‘why’ is more significant than ‘who’, since the ‘who’ changes but the ‘why’ does not — or at lest, not lately. Basically what it looks like you’re doing is taking your deepest doubts about yourself and dramatizing them in a relationship. These doubts could have better use, for example, in a healing context.

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) — What you may have said recently about your talents or professional abilities may be coming home to roost. It’s essential that you tidy up the loose ends on anything that might not have been fully true, particularly regarding a goal that you expressed without fully thinking it through. You may, however, feel that doing so would compromise your authority in some way. In fact, the veracity of your words, stated intentions and their alignment with your emotions is the very basis of your authority. You are in a phase of your life where there is absolutely no wiggle room for the truth, as in none at all. Something is either true or it’s not, and you need a high standard.

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) — You seem to be working out a paradox between who you are professionally and who you are ‘as a person’. The solution to the paradox is that you’re the same in any case. This shifts the question to why you feel like there is, or should be, a difference — which is a different topic. If you proceed from the basis of sameness, the way forward will be a lot more obvious. Also, you seem poised to connect with the passion that is behind the choices you make, particularly regarding what to pursue as a goal. Though you may go through a few possibilities before figuring this out, in fact you are driven by the desire to help others, though that has a few layers of motivation as well. As long as you keep asking sincere questions, you will not be deceived.

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

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Sun-Psyche — and a short period comet outburst

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Short-period comet 168/P, currently very close to the Sun. It was discovered by American astronomer Carl W. Hergenrother, who first noted the comet using the facilities of the Catalina Sky Survey in 1998 (its previous visit was in 2005). 168/P is now 65.5 million km away from Earth. Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Note to Readers: Occasionally I write a blog post that seems to describe the moment. A version of this appeared on yesterday’s Daily Astrology & Adventure. — efc

Dear Friend and Reader:

This week the Sun is in a long conjunction with Psyche, one of the top 10 most massive asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. First noted way back in 1852, it was the 16th asteroid ever discovered, hence it’s properly called (16) Psyche.

Vashon ferry. Photo by Eric Francis.

Thematically, it’s also one of the most interesting, and describes much of our spiritual condition at this point in history: the struggle for soul contact, having faith in oneself, or even acknowledging one’s own existence. As a point of background remember that the Sun-Psyche conjunction happens in Libra, so there will be a relationship focus.

Said in a more complex way, Psyche is the state of mind which might lead you to believe that you’re psychologically injured and that there is no way out. (It also relates to head injuries.) We have a lot of this going around lately — for example, many people carry a psychiatric diagnosis, mainly as a prerequisite for being prescribed some form of medication.

A good few people have taken this path believing that they don’t really have a viable option; we need to get through the day, keeping above water. The obvious question, though, involves the long-term healing prospects. Too often, meds are given outside the context of therapy, and come with the idea that the person will need them for life. Is this really true? Have you considered your options? What are your medium and long-range plans? If you’re experiencing depression or anxiety, at a certain point you will actually have to address the underlying causes. The question Psyche is asking is whether you believe that’s possible.

More often, Psyche can represent the feeling of being unable to connect with the deeper part of yourself, or struggling for faith in yourself. This often manifests in relationships as choosing people who somehow reflect that lack of faith, who seem psychologically or spiritually injured, or where there is a ‘locked-in’ experience of codependency in the relationship.

This leads to a question: what do you identify with in others? Their creativity? Their ability to nourish you? Or their sense of wounding? The answer to that will give you a clue where you are, in relationship to Psyche. An asteroid called Hebe is also in the aspect (a few degrees away, in mid-Libra), which emphasizes the questions of codependency, and the role of alcohol and meds in the relationship. Also, consider any situation that is triangular in nature (many relationships are). Who is the ‘third person’ and what is their role?

Sunset over Vashon. Photo by Eric Francis.

Mercury and Saturn have recently ingressed (entered) Scorpio, which brings up the theme of secrets. Saturn in Scorpio, among other things, is a long investigation into the secrets you keep and why you keep them. It’s about the role of concealing and revealing information within relationships, and the associated theme of power. Saturn is in an exact trine to Neptune.

There’s a little joke in here — with such strong contact between Scorpio and Pisces, with Neptune directly involved, you can safely assume that everyone has access to any information they need. There comes a point in spiritual development where it’s suddenly obvious that secrecy not only doesn’t work — it doesn’t exist, except as a little mind game.

If you’re looking for a path to healing in the midst of all this, Mercury in Scorpio is trine Chiron in Pisces. There is a way to have the conversation, if your commitment is to healing and reality.

That is one option; there are others. There’s one last aspect afoot — Mars is currently in an exact square to Neptune. Here’s another aspect that pushes the boundaries of integrity. There can also be a self-destructive tendency with a Mars-Neptune square. It has an aggressive quality, so beware of someone pushing an agenda onto you. Note the sensation that ‘something doesn’t feel right’ and when in doubt, delay. The truth WILL come out, and you’ll see it if you want to. Notice when you’re doubting yourself or your judgment. Really — pay attention to that one.

As for the Comet

In the midst of much other interesting astrology, we have a comet on the radar. I don’t have a direct interpretation — except for one word: emphasis. It reached its closest point to the Sun about 8 days ago and is now in full bloom — the heat of the Sun melts off a bit of the comet, making it seem large and bright.

Photo by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

Anthony Ayiomamitis, our resident astro-photographer, writes:

“A very pleasant surprise this week with the periodic comet 168/P Hergenrother in Pegasus. More specifically, this periodic comet, which returns to the inner solar system every 6.923 years, was at perihelion a few days ago (Oct. 1, 2012) and is now in outburst (post-perihelion). This comet has a sizable nucleus and is quite bright with a magnitude just over magnitude 10.

“The attached animation and time series show the comet moving through the Great Square of Pegasus (and heading north). Seventy-four one-minute exposures were captured over 90 minutes (accounting for download times) with a sub-selection used to construct the two attachments with an interval of seven minutes between frames.

“This periodic comet reaches perihelion at 1.426 AU while aphelion is at 5.839 AU. The comet was discovered and is named after American astronomer Carl W. Hergenrother who first noted the comet using the facilities of the Catalina Sky Survey in 1998 (the previous visit was in 2005). The comet is currently at 65.5 million km away from Earth.” [Learn more at this link.]

Lovingly,

Attention those with Libra Sun or Libra rising (and those who love them): the 2012 Libra Birthday Reading is still available, and makes a great gift (for a loved one or yourself!). Please use this link to order.

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Aries Full Moon and Uranus Square Pluto

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Dear Friend and Reader:

This whole week is a buildup to the Aries Full Moon. If you’ve ever read the term “Aries Point” on Planet Waves, we are about to experience its influence, in one of the hottest charts I’ve seen in quite a while. This event — an opposition alignment of the Sun and the Moon — will light up the Uranus-Pluto square, the thing I’ve been calling the 2012 aspect — and which was exact for the second time last week. If you read Planet Waves and you haven’t quite got a grasp on what that is, I suggest you find out. It’s rare during any time in history that people know about the history-making aspect while it’s happening — and in this lifetime, and in this moment, you can.

This is an interpretation of the Mayan calendar glyph for Manik. Illustration by Carol McCloud.

While the Full Moon happens this coming Saturday, the energy is already building; many sensitive people can feel it as the rise in tension and excitement. The Libra Sun is already in range of Uranus, Pluto and other high-energy planets and points. We had the equinox Saturday, which put the Sun into an opposition aspect to the Aries Point, and onto the high-energy cardinal cross of the heavens — the zone where the Sun always arrives when a new season begins.

Mercury Revolts: Jesse Calls Out 9/11

Last week we experienced Mercury passing through this region of the sky, lining up with the Uranus-Pluto square, and it was a very interesting week in ways I’m still hearing about. Until a friend told me over the weekend, I had no idea that former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura blew the whistle on the 9/11 coverup during a rare Piers Morgan live broadcast on CNN — on live television, before a studio audience. Mercury was making contact with the Uranus-Pluto square. Morgan tried to call him a crackpot, but the audience wasn’t having it. Seems like the last people to have a clue about this blatant crime are those with multimillion-dollar TV slots. What is more amazing is the utter lack of curiosity that Morgan displays — his job is to defend a point of view, not to dig out the facts (which tells you something useful about his whole genre of television broadcasts).

Mercury in this position was promising something revolutionary and there were additional significant news developments, including the Middle East exploding in protest against anti-Muslim sentiments, and the now infamous Mitt Romney video coming out (the biggest tipping point so far in his pathetic campaign). A federal judge declared unconstitutional the NDAA — the law allowing Obama to imprison American citizens without a trial, for terrorism by talking. (This could include activism, blogging, what you post to Facebook and other possibilities. I covered that extensively in Friday’s subscriber edition of Planet Waves. The decision was stayed by a higher judge, but it was still astonishing that it even happened).

Mercury moves quickly; Uranus and Pluto move slowly. When a fast-moving point (or points) aspects a slow-moving aspect pattern, you’ll often see an expression of something come out of the background, including a moment of real change. This week in my reading of the charts, something emerges from the background, seemingly by surprise, unexpected and with significant influence.

THE ULTIMATE ARIES POINT CHART — The arrows point to the “cardinal points,” also known as the Aries Point, a high-energy zone in the zodiac. Technically this is the first degree of Aries, though it also involves degrees that oppose and square the first degree of Aries. The first few degrees of the cardinal points are sensitive as well. This is a (somewhat) simplified chart for the Aries Full Moon, which happens Saturday. I have set the chart up to highlight the Uranus-Pluto square. (Find this aspect!!! Uranus is to the far left, looking like a blue H, conjunct the Aries Moon. Pluto is at the top of the chart, in red, conjunct an asteroid called Icarus, which represents peak experiences.) The Sun is in Libra, to the right, conjunct a Pluto-like planet, Typhon. At the bottom of the chart is Ceres, newly in Cancer, and two extremely slow-moving hypothetical points — Hades (at 2+ Cancer) and Kronos (at 7+ Cancer).

Once Again, Individual Meets Collective

Because this involves the Aries Point and the Uranus-Pluto square (the 2012 aspect), it’s likely to have wide public repercussions. Because it involves the Sun and the Moon, we’re likely to recognize it as something personally significant. I know that we go through week after week where seemingly important things happen, and yet nothing seems to come of it. That ‘seeming’ piece is merely cynical. You will experience events as more meaningful, more useful, more poignant, if you know your point of involvement — that is, your contact point with the larger world outside the bubble of your life. I have been listening to people say they want to do this for decades.

Saturday, Sept 22, the Sun ingressed Libra, and the new season began. Libra is a more expressive and energetic sign — known as a cardinal sign, where the Sun always goes when a season begins. Just like Mercury aspected the Uranus-Pluto square, now the Sun and Earth will align with that square. This will pick up the pace of events, the sense of impending change, and the sensation of chaos. The chaos is the result of an increase in energy which usually results in a surge of activity.

The Sun is our energy source, the hub of the solar system, and (in astrology) the seat of ego consciousness. The Uranus-Pluto square is what you would call dynamic: tense, taut like a spring, provoking change, and waiting for something to come along and mix up with it. When that happens, the dynamic can shift rapidly, and it looks like that’s what’s in store.

What makes things more interesting is that it’s not just the Sun coming through — it’s the Aries Full Moon. Even the most boring Full Moon is interesting; now we have one happening early in the cardinal signs. You don’t even need a big aspect in the background to get some global-scale event; the Full Moon alone can do it. This one is packed with solid rocket boosters.

Note also that there are other points involved. The Sun is conjunct a Pluto-like minor planet called Typhon in early Libra (named for the most fearsome monster in Greek mythology, namesake of typhoons). And all of these points are aspecting two hypothetical planets in early Cancer. One is called Hades, which is like a super-Pluto, and is about going deep; the other is called Kronos, a super-Saturn, which in Cancer describes the emotional maturity necessary to handle all of this rapidly changing energy.

Handling This Energy

What I’m describing is a grand cross in the cardinal signs, which is being activated by the Full Moon. In my experience observing astrology, it doesn’t get any more exciting and more unpredictably predictable. You cannot expect things to be ‘normal’ or smooth. The thing to go for is using the energy in a creative, productive way.

To handle this energy takes real mindfulness and flexibility. It will be necessary to tap into several states of mind simultaneously. If not handled properly, this can feel like a clash of energies. Heck, even if handled well it might feel that way. So remember: mindfulness and flexibility.

Know your agenda. I suggest at the very least that you be absolutely transparent with yourself. Then, you have to be ready to let go of less significant priorities when more significant ones manifest, or when you decide what they are. Know your agenda, and be ready to change it on short notice.

Part of your agenda is your longterm vision. If you know your longterm vision, you’ll be able to make immediate decisions on the basis of whether they fit that vision or not. And you may get information that helps you formulate or change that vision.

I think that the hypothetical points I’ve included in this chart may hold the key to handling this energy. The two points are Hades (a super-Pluto) and Kronos (a super-Saturn), both of which are ultra-longterm visitors to Cancer. Hades says: go deep. Do not be afraid to go deep. Challenge yourself to do so. Kronos to me says: maturity is essential now. It’s seemingly a rare commodity — and it’s always available. Do not factor yourself as insignificant. Do not factor yourself as self-important. Rather, factor yourself as a conscious part of life on Earth, responsible first for your own life and second for where your life intersects with the larger community and historical process.

We live in times where shopping and cynicism are seemingly the answers to everything. They are not. Yes, there is plenty to be angry about, and you can make arguments about how powerless you are until you turn blue and faint. You can also take that same energy, breathe in real oxygen, and get yourself going. This is as much permission as you need — from someone else, anyway (and I don’t care what your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, parents or whoever may think). The real authorization you need is from yourself — to make your own decisions and do what is right for you, and for the greater good. Go for it.

Lovingly,

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Tuesday Letter: A Moment of Psyche

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Dear Friend and Reader:

We’re not done editing the Moonshine horoscope yet, so it’s going to wait a week. Working with a young writer who is learning to write horoscopes is giving me a new appreciation for how challenging it is to translate astrology into a few succinct sentences, and have it be helpful, accurate and not confuse matters any more than they already are. Thanks for your patience.

Lower Manhattan skyline as it appeared prior to Sept. 11, 2001, offering us a dreamlike image of a cityscape that once was. This is a viral image; I have not been able to identify the photographer.

This creates an opportunity to comment on Sept. 11, on Sept. 11. Once again I’ve been spending hours and hours with the charts for that incident, and as usual, learning a lot. I will be describing some of that in tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM and Friday’s edition for subscribers. Today on the 11th anniversary, though, we get an aspect that begs for attention: Psyche square Pluto.

When you calculate the exact solar return (birthday chart) for the airplane crash into the North Tower (which was exact just past midnight N.Y. time), the asteroid Psyche meets Pluto at 90-degrees — a square — to a tiny fraction of a degree. A square is an aspect of tension. It’s provocative, which is to say, it’s a kind of trigger point. In this situation, two points associated with psychological distress are in aspect to one another. Outside the context of today’s anniversary, please remember that this aspect is happening, and that you may be feeling it.

In an issue earlier in the year, I quoted minor planet specialist Martha Lang-Wescott describing the psychological scarring associated with Pluto in Capricorn. The United States has been through some profoundly difficult times since that airplane hit the North Tower at 8:46 on a clear, cool Tuesday morning. Capricorn is a sign associated with government, with corporations, with family and with tradition — and Pluto is having its sometimes-painful influences in all of these places. In the style of Capricorn, these influences often refer to the past (Capricorn territory), and how we orient our lives today based on what happened before.

We have a lot of that with Sept. 11. The horror of what we witnessed; the loss of so many people on one morning; then war after war, the buildup of the ‘national security’ state; all of our cell calls and texts and social networking being archived, for future use, with 9/11 used as an excuse. That makes every one of us a suspected terrorist, you and me, and thanks to the various laws passed in the wake of 9/11, we can be treated that way. Now the words ‘activist’ and ‘terrorist’ are interchangeable.

A feat of architecture, and a childhood memory: the World Trade center under construction in 1971. The towers were built to withstand hurricanes and multiple strikes by jet liners. Photo by Pat Bianculli / Wikimedia Commons.

That’s enough to freak out anyone — anyone paying attention, and to haunt the nightmares of just about anyone else. Psyche addresses psychological wounding that can cut to the soul level, and its exact square today to Pluto in Capricorn is a clear image of that: the fear, the pain, the lingering memories and the nagging questions.

It’s as if our whole society is going through this on a daily basis, and these scars are stirred up by a diversity of sources: politicians using both threats and the promise of security as weapons against us; the media selling newspapers and cars on cable TV, using all this pain to get our attention; the agony of considering what the people of Afghanistan and Iraq have gone through, paying for what someone else did; feeling the hurt and grief of the tens of thousands of killed and wounded American service members, and their families.

Then there are the lost opportunities: for example, the trillions of dollars’ worth of resources spent on wars and SWAT teams for little towns (and big cities) and airport X-ray machines that could have been invested in infrastructure, protecting the environment, education, health.

And then there’s one last not-so-small matter: what if those people who think that the official story is simply not true are correct? What if you have questions about how three skyscrapers collapsed on their footprint the same day, one of which was not even hit by an airplane? Why is it so difficult to accept that something else happened, even when presented with direct evidence of that fact?

That’s the question that I’ll be taking up this week, in tonight’s edition of Planet Waves FM and Friday’s edition. I am focusing on the mass psychology of Sept. 11, and how people respond when presented with evidence that contradicts their worldview. (That will be posted on the main PW blog later tonight, and be re-issued in Friday’s edition).

Till then, take good care.

Lovingly,

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When Little Planets Make Big Moves

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Note to Readers: Today we had planned to distribute the Moonshine Horoscope, however, I had several projects backed up and didn’t have time to get to it. We will have that for you next week. This article is adapted from Monday’s blog post and covers this week’s exciting astrology. — efc
Dear Friend and Reader:

This is going to be an interesting week — astrologically and otherwise (however in astrology, “astrology” and “otherwise” are the same thing). The two most significant moves in the sky involve Mercury and Venus — the two known ‘major’ planets whose orbits are shorter than that of the Earth. Mercury and Venus are considered personal planets in that we often experience their effects viscerally, as emotions, sensory data and ideas. When they form patterns with slower-moving points, as is happening now, they can have dramatic effects.

Chart for Mercury stationing direct on Wednesday. Note that its number value is similar to that of several other points shown — including Venus, Neptune and the lunar nodes. You read the chart by reading the numbers; I have selected a grouping where everything is working on everything else, in a way that’s obvious. The numbers tell a story, based on the motion and speed of the points involved.

Let’s start with Mercury stationing direct, which happens Wednesday at 1:40 am EDT. This is a planetary setup that is packed with tension, energy and potential. It’s in full color and suggests that a process underneath the obvious is gradually unfurling. The dharma piece is that the lunar nodes are involved; this is a potential point of action.

As you likely know, Mercury retrograde is associated with things (such as computers) acting weird, and people’s minds acting even weirder. All the usual suggestions apply: Don’t buy things. Back up your work. Do one thing at a time. This is NOT the time to update your software, or to fix minor problems that you can live with for a few days.

And pay attention. However, with this event, there’s a lot more.

When any Mercury retrograde ends or begins, Mercury stays in the same little zone of the zodiac for about a week (usually it goes whipping along). In the midst of going so slowly, it then switches directions, which has a charming way of fucking with the minds of the unwitting, the hapless and even, occasionally, the pros. This phase is usually called the ‘Mercury storm’ and it tends to be the most chaotic part of the retrograde. There are two for each retrograde — one at the beginning and one at the end. We are in one of them now.

Mercury is stationing direct in a close aspect to three other points: it’s trine the North Node of the Moon, and sextile the South Node (amplifying the communication power of Mercury); and it’s quincunx Neptune (a slippery-feeling aspect that could make it difficult to discern true from false). Neptune for its part is square the lunar nodes, meaning that everything hinges on sorting out truth from illusion. How much is everything? It depends on what happens this week (it’s only Tuesday and it’s been a heck of a week so far).

About three hours after Mercury stations direct, the Moon comes along, enters Taurus, and gives it a bump. If you set a hockey puck on the kitchen floor and push it, it will hardly budge. If you set it on slick ice and push it, it will take a little ride — and that’s what the Moon’s square to Mercury from Taurus feels like.

First, the cautionary part of the story. The upshot of all of this is to slow down and pay attention. Sunday evening I was noticing how many cars were being driven through a thunderstorm without the headlights on. In whatever the heck you’re doing, if you’re driving through the rain, slow down, turn on your headlights.

Hail and farewell Venus in Gemini. Photo of the 2012 transit of Venus by Anthony Ayiomamitis.

That is a metaphor; it will help you avoid colliding with the dork who is simultaneously stuffing Chick-fil-A down his throat while speeding, tweaking his GPS and talking on the phone. Slowing down in the rain is a good idea because the road is slippery and your slower speed will increase your available reaction time in an emergency.

Then we have the creative part of the story. This is a fantastic chart for putting ideas into motion. It’s especially true for interesting, creative ideas that blend words and pictures, words and music, or all of the above. So if you’ve got something brewing, get it going. If you’re the camera type, keep yours on you at all times. This is the week that all those “iReporters” at CNN are going to do their best work while the gabbing heads can’t shut up about the stock market.

As for that second transit. Venus enters Cancer today at 9:43 am EDT. This happens a bit before Mercury stations direct, but the two events are close enough to be synchronous; that is, part of the same thing. Notably, they are in aspect, a subtle contact called a semi-sextile, which tends to bridge two opposing concepts (for example, Cancer is a water sign and Leo is a fire sign).

Normally, Venus changing signs is not a big deal (though it’s always fodder for daily horoscopes because it will be dependably interesting, you can see the theme, and it lends itself to writing a good story).

However, this Venus sign-change is special because 1) Venus has been in Gemini since April 3 of this year 2) where it was retrograde for six weeks during that time, 3) where we also had the big transit of Venus, the last such event till 2117 and 4) because Venus is ingressing a cardinal sign, aspecting the Aries Point, Uranus and Pluto.

We have the whole Venus in Gemini story coming to an end this week, and a new story begins as Venus jumps onto the cardinal cross and starts dancing with the Uranus-Pluto square. I cover that in Tuesday’s daily edition. And I’ll see you with a new subscriber edition Friday morning.

Lovingly,