Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014, #1029 | By Eric Francis
Keep a balance between your outer life and your inner life. This may be just a bit tricky, because there is so much happening in your internal world while the seemingly outer world is inviting you to take action in some bold way. The two are not at odds. Your relationship with the people and events around you is driven by your inner reality. To some extent this is true for everyone, but it’s especially true for you now. I suggest you focus inwardly and make sure you know your priorities. Make sure you’re at peace with yourself, which may mean finding harmony with feeling so driven and passionate. When you express that outwardly, cool it off just a little. Strive for cooperation. Set the example of working with others and distributing the workload. But be the keeper of your vision, and then relate that vision to others in a way they can clearly understand and help you develop.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, #1028 | By Eric Francis
What is sex? It’s a gift; it’s a gesture of faith in humanity. It’s a revolutionary act. But is it fun? Well, that works better when you understand your motives. The fun quotient is also dependent on how you experience guilt, shame and piety. When sex is real, it puts everyone onto level ground. In order to get there, it’s necessary to go to the level of mortals. Modern humans are often obsessed with being spiritual, which loosely translates to ‘better than’. Sex is typically not seen as spiritual because for many it translates to ‘lower than’. I would say it really means ‘equal to’. Remember that you, like everyone, are made of the Earth. You are part of the Earth, which means equal to everything and everyone else that is here. The more you tap into this, even as an experiment, the more generous you will feel, and the stronger in your faith you will be.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Dec. 4, 2014, #1027 | By Eric Francis
Sex is cosmic. Why is that so controversial? Could it be that someone made it so? If you look around, most of the controversies of the world are fabricated, and most things that should be getting the buzz going are kept on the down-low. Seen one way, the cosmic nature of sex, phrased as a question, begs the true nature of existence. We all got here from sex. But that’s the ordinary part. The interesting part is the access to consciousness granted by sex; that is, by sexual desire, experience, curiosity and what can happen in sexual relationships. What can happen is discovery. What can happen is alchemy, between two or more people, and within oneself. Here is a clue: Alchemy is a relic of the ancient world. It’s not regarded as real today, even though so much of it happens. To see alchemy for what it is, look at the world through ancient eyes. Look at the world as if you were dropped into its midst from some other simpler, quieter civilization.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for December 2014, #1026 | By Eric Francis
You may have the sensation that something is out of balance, though the way it looks in your astrology, you’re working to put that very thing into balance. Yet you might not feel that way while it’s happening. The changes you want to make are drawing you in like the vortex that they are. In truth you are catching up with yourself. You are closing the gap between what you were told about yourself, and the reality of who you actually are. You have made a respectable investment in clearing out karma, clutter and beliefs to which other people are attached. There are two parts to the equation of what you’re doing — identifying and letting go of what was not true or has served its purpose, and taking full ownership of what is true for you based on actual understanding. The catch is how unstable you might feel through this process. Internally and externally, large forces are at work. This may have you feeling like the substance of who you are is not strong enough to stand up to existence. I would offer this — the seeming substance of who you are not is what is threatened. What you were in the past, what you believed, what you thought you wanted, will crumble under the changes. Who you are is what will be revealed for its enduring strength and vision.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014, #1025 | By Eric Francis
There seems to be some difficult conversation you want to have with a loved one, though I suggest you pause and reflect until the Sun has entered Sagittarius on Saturday. It will be easier with the Sun in a fire sign. Whoever you’re speaking with will have a better perspective on what they have to gain by at least listening to what you want. What you’re going for here is a greater sense of potential than you might ordinarily feel within the confines of one relationship. You seem to want to express the full spectrum of your potential, and you also have an idea that one path to doing that is through intimate relationships. Consider how rare it is that any other person in the world would have a close enough idea of their own potential to match yours. That’s why this discussion must be encountered with an open mind and an even more open heart.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, #1024 | By Eric Francis
I know a dominatrix who has the theory that in every relationship there must be a top and a bottom, or the relationship does not work. In her view there must be a pecking order and distribution of power where it’s clear who the boss is. Now, I am aware she’s a dominatrix, so this fits her personal approach to relationships, but she’s intelligent enough that I have considered the idea for a while. I think it’s more valuable as a question than as an affirmative statement. I can only ask whether this is true in your life — what you believe, and what you actually do. Must there be a boss in a relationship? And if not, how is ‘power’ and authority distributed? What is the role of powerful emotions, as a source of power? Who controls the resources, and to what effect?
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014, #1023 | By Eric Francis
You would be more inclined to think that faith has the power to move mountains, had you seen it happen. But then it would not be the same thing. You have, however, seen what the power of absolute trust can do. I would add here that the most help you can be to yourself is to stay out of your own way, and the second most important thing is to know what you want; to know what outcome you truly desire. Given the current astrology, it’s vital that you think in a timeframe of years, not days, weeks or months. Yes, the present moment is meaningful, and in one respect it’s all there is. Yet there is also something else — the future as a resource, one that is both personal and connected to any endeavor you lay your hands on.
Inner Space Monthly Horoscope for November, 2014, #1022 By Eric Francis
Why are relationships so powerful in your life? That’s an honest question you seem to be asking yourself. I think you know that you need to get underneath this, rather than looking at it from the surface level, or from the viewpoint of the usual cultural myths we have about involvements with others. A particular situation or condition that has at times seemed stuck or resistant to change has indeed been a source of progress for you. And you may note the many ways the situation has evolved since it began. The astrology I’m seeing presents you with the following equation: the deeper you go, the more movement you will notice, and the more movement will be possible. You are about to enter a whole new emotional landscape, one where you will see how much freedom you really have.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for November 1st, 2014, #1021 | By Eric Francis
How you feel keeps changing, and that is the key to progress. If you are aware of the changes, then by definition you are aware of how you feel. That is the essence of your ability to direct the course of your life. All your other senses count, but your physical contact with your body and with your environment will provide your most intelligent guidance. That is a moment-to-moment reckoning with reality. You may be looking straight at the illusion that your existence is somehow about all these other people. They are involved, that’s for sure, though not quite in the role that you think. For one thing they don’t have the power to limit you. To the contrary, their role is to provide support, structure, and at times something to resist specifically so that you can assert your individuality in a meaningful way. There’s a big difference between doing this in theory or in fantasy and trusting people enough to stand up to them with your ideas. You don’t need to be defensive about this, though that temptation will exist. You also don’t want to put anyone else in a defensive position. Rather, you can take an effect of neutrality, or of making an inquiry in the pursuit of truth. Set aside right and wrong for a moment, and allow your ideas to mingle with those of other people, and see what develops.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014, #1020 | By Eric Francis
You will know when it’s your moment to enter the discussion — if at all. Until then I suggest you pause, and remain a bystander. This is a potentially volatile situation, rife with potential misunderstandings. Though it may be close to you emotionally or in proximity, it does not directly involve you at this time. The thing I suggest you avoid is getting drawn into something that is not really about you, but that could become about you if you’re not careful. This will be a situation where you must consider very carefully whether to remain absolutely silent, or to say anything — and what to say, and why. I think that of all these considerations, the thing to consider the most carefully is the why. What exactly is your investment or your interest? If you come up short, I suggest you keep your distance.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 9, 2014, #1019 | By Eric Francis
Listen to what others say, even it sounds like crazy ranting and raving. There is good information mingled in there, and as much as you learn about someone else, you will learn about yourself. There is information coming about how words may not necessary be true, or even reflective of a true opinion. Fortunately, words are not deeds — not exactly. There is a buffer between one and the other, and you may find that you need to take advantage of that zone where potential is not entirely manifest. The lesson seems to be that motives are rarely 100% pure. Sometimes they conflict; sometimes they contradict one another entirely. And yet there will be a decision made, there will be action taken, and there will be results. The more closely you listen, and use what you know, more likely you are to experience results in line with what serves everyone involved.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, #1018 | By Eric Francis
Try not to push others to receive the gifts that you have to offer, which are considerable. Rather, notice who appreciates you. Notice who takes on the nourishment that you have to offer. Or better yet, you might focus inwardly during what is likely to be an extraordinary moment of self-discovery. I can see from your astrology that this might show up along with some anxiety of a kind that you cannot easily explain, particularly around the time of the lunar eclipse and New Moon on Oct. 8. If you acknowledge any apprehension you’re feeling rather than trying to suppress or deny it, you’ll be able to tap the underlying creative and self-creative power that is coming to you, or rather, bubbling up from the core of your being. One result could be a stunning moment of revelation that you really exist. Strange as it seems, that is something that often needs to be learned or discovered.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for October 2014, #1017 | By Eric Francis
There’s no limit to what you don’t know about yourself, which you notice every now and then. This makes some people nervous, and it makes some people into artists, writers, musicians and philosophers. Those born under the sign Taurus live with a special version of what I would call the Persistent Mystery of Self. It can have a way of driving you, whether forward or in circles, though the impulse is not always so conscious. This month two eclipses influence your chart in profound ways. The first, on Oct. 8, seems designed to relieve internal pressure that has been bottling up for a while. This could manifest as a revelation about yourself, as a personal crisis or both — you can be less attached to the form it takes if you know why it’s happening. The effect will be to help you settle down emotionally and feel better in your skin, perhaps after a little storm. The next eclipse, on Oct. 23, takes place on your relationship angle. You may experience a similar phase of transition in an intimate partnership, though this is designed to bring you closer. Remember that many people don’t want to be closer to others, for whatever reason. It’s always helpful to know thyself, then encounter the other, and that is the arrangement. You do seem committed to your current path. Keep your faith.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, #1016 | By Eric Francis
You don’t need to try so hard. I don’t mean to suggest you not try at all, though there is something that you might call efforting, which is the sensation of putting out too much energy to get a particular thing done. What you’re doing wants to be done and will cooperate with you. Collaboration will help, though it must be the right collaboration, probably not a whole committee but rather one or two people you really trust to assist you with specific tasks, or with handling specific individuals. Meanwhile, monitor your involvement with the details. You don’t need to clean them all up at once. Go through your project in layers; make an improvement, move onto something else, then come back to what you were working on before. This will keep the work interesting and make sure you don’t burn out on any one aspect of what you’re doing.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014, #1015 | By Eric Francis
What matters is not the form of a relationship but rather the creative fire that it contains. You may have lost sight of that recently, though you are now being reminded of what is so often neglected. This takes more devotion than most mortals are willing to invest into their journeys with others, and consistency that is rare to find. Yet I suggest you remember that ultimately this is not about a relationship; it’s about you, your integrity and your commitment to life. Unusual, unexpected things happen when you take the chance of asserting your soul, though it’s best not to expect them but rather allow your clarity of purpose to be its own reward. Keep your focus and remember to stay true to yourself first, and to what you want, second. From this space, when passion takes hold, it does so in a much more reliable way.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, Sept. 4, #1014 | By Eric Francis
Marriage is not the solution to everything. If there is such a solution, that would be trust, and it seems obvious that trust is what people are seeking when they invest themselves in relationships that are designed to be ‘permanent’. Yet it’s easy not to trust, and to give oneself reasons not to trust, even in the seemingly most secure situation. Where do you stand on this subject? One way to measure that is by considering carefully what you say and what you don’t say to the people you consider your intimates. You seem to be of two minds about this — sometimes willing to be totally transparent and at others feeling like this is inconvenient, or an unnecessary risk. You don’t need to overanalyze this. If you have something on your mind, say so, and if you have a question, ask directly. In fact, make a wish.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for September 2014, #1013 | By Eric Francis
How risky are ideas? For many people they are terrifying; notice how distinctly unpopular thinking is. Notice society’s tendency to censor, to control, and to spy on what people say. But does that really mean ideas are actually risky? Well, they can be, in the sense that they are the precursor to progress. I suggest you take all the risks you can muster when it comes to thinking for yourself. To do that, you might need to tune in to the ways you were conditioned not to think for yourself, which includes everything from unquestioned prejudices to going along with the crowd to believing something is true because a parent or partner says it’s true. And herein lies the trap — the fear that if you dare to be original, or to question consensus reality, you will be cast out of the tribe. That’s about the last thing you have to worry about now; you are more likely to be considered in a position of leadership, specifically because you possess and use your capacity to think, and to think creatively. Here is a formula you can try, which can turn problems into solutions: Catch yourself every time you go into safe/narrow/prejudiced mode. Pause right then, and prompt yourself to question. Step over the nonexistent barrier and consciously allow your thoughts to unfold.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 22, 2014, #1012 | By Eric Francis
Push could come to shove in a relationship, though I suggest you consider the possibility that none of this is about you. In other words, what is happening with a partner or love interest is all about them, and not about you. I don’t mean to imply that they don’t care, or that you don’t matter. I do mean to say that you are not really the subject of their situation, no matter what it may seem. However, because so much of relating to other humans involves projecting onto others, and introjecting what others send our way, the boundary between what is mine and what is yours can get extremely fuzzy. You can try to sort things out, or you can refer to astrology, which says: don’t take on what is not yours — and at the moment most of what you’re witnessing fits that category.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 14, 2014, #1011 | By Eric Francis
Pay attention to a situation in your life that gradually seems to be coming to a head. It’s true that you or someone close to you is reaching a natural limit, though that limit does not mean the end. Rather, it appears as a conscious change in your relationship to structure. Usually, structure is experienced as an unconscious element; it would probably not occur to you to reorient your house, or to move a hillside. Where the mind and feelings are concerned, structure is conceptual and therefore flexible. It usually exists due to prior programming, though it can be raised to the level of a conscious understanding. One thing is clear — you need to conduct your affairs in a wider field of reality, where there is more space to move around, to experience your feelings, and to express your desire. With that in mind, you might consider visiting an actual field and noticing how that feels, or working in a place where you have plenty of room.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, August 7, 2014, #1010 | By Eric Francis
This week’s astrology describes an adventure of some kind — it looks like leadership, but a participatory variety of the stuff. You may not define yourself as a ‘leader’, though if you remember that all humans are looking to nearly all other humans they encounter as examples of what to be or not to be, then everyone is in the role of setting an example. For you over the next few days, as the Aquarius Full Moon passes through town, you will see the extent, and the relevance, of your involvement in a situation, and the benefit of the example that you set. It would be great if we could go beyond the necessity for bosses, CEOs and generals. By engaging with people on what you might think of as a co-organizational level, you can help the world, or at least your world, take a step beyond that. Trust one thing if nothing else — people respect you for your sincerity. And that is real respect.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 31, 2014, #1009 | By Eric Francis
Someone’s desire for you, or the intensity of a particular relationship, might ordinarily be the kind of thing that shakes your foundations. I suggest you experiment with being able to hold the energy. There is plenty of it, resonating within you emotionally, and while it’s intense it may have you feeling insecure. It’s as if under some circumstances it might be the right thing but the waves of passion may be reaching you at an odd or awkward angle. If you feel the desire to retreat or pull back, maybe take a breath and see where the passion or attraction leads you. You might not be ‘exactly equally attracted’ but does that matter so much? Someone’s interest in you does not mean that you owe them anything, only that you have an opportunity to experience life in a new way, that moment.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for August 2014, #1008 | By Eric Francis
Your charts describe a time of domestic bliss. For some that is a shack on the beach and for others it’s a duplex on the Upper West Side. What is it for you? How do you want your home to be? Forget, for a moment, what you think you can afford, or what you think you deserve. Rather, let your imagination run free for a while and imagine the visuals, the quality of the light, the kinds of spaces you want. Imagine what will help you work, what will help you sleep and what will improve your quality of life. Think about how you want to use energy and how you would therefore plan for the environmental footprint of wherever you would live. I am not sure the context, but someone commented on the Planet Waves website, quoting one of their teachers, who said, “Space is intelligence.” I love when a three-word equation gives me something to think about for weeks (and this one may last for years). As you develop your ideas about physical space, your mind will change. They will evolve, in particular, away from the concepts of your parents. It is likely that your ideal living space is distinctly different from where you grew up, and now you get to think through what kind of space you want and perhaps most significantly, where you want to be.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 17, 2014, #1007 | By Eric Francis
You may be tempted to do or say things in an effort to please those you feel are in positions of authority. Yet it would be better to take authority, especially over your own ideas. You don’t have to meet any standard except for being real. However, in our society this concept needs some explanation. Being real means matching your words to your actual opinion. It means matching the expression on your face to how you really feel. It means asking a question when you don’t know, instead of guessing, though that includes first checking in with yourself to assess what knowledge you already have. To take authority you have to be your own authority, which is a complex task; rather than being about bossing yourself around, it’s about having a balanced viewpoint, taking different opinions under advisement and ultimately being responsible for your own decisions. Someone who can do that is a valuable person within any group or organization.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 10, 2014, #1006 | By Eric Francis
From the look of your solar charts, you’re getting a lot done, though you seem to be feeling edgy about something, such as money. I would not be surprised if there are moments when you get a bit panicky for no special reason. The deeper story of your charts, however, is about your commitment to living differently from how previous generations in your family did. If you do, of course, they may think you’re weird and some people will express vocal disapproval. You may have an inner attachment to approval. Be determined to let none of these things stop you, or sap any of your confidence. Indeed, I suggest you draw strength and confirmation from any disapproval you might encounter, or that you may fear. Be aware of how many generations of tradition you may be breaking with your determination to do what is right for you, and to love in the way that is right for you.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, July 3, 2014, #1005 | By Eric Francis
One definition of ‘true love’ that I would propose is the ability to love oneself in the presence of another person. Most of what we call true love is the seemingly direct transaction: I love you and you love me. There’s a more complex dynamic at play, which seems to be about how we feel about ourselves in the presence of others. I think that as we find a path out of the current dark maze that our society calls love, the self-acceptance factor is the one to look out for. It reverses the notion of love from something that is projected and introjected into something that is admitted to be an inner experience. No matter what may be going on outside you, your entire experience of life is mediated by your mind, your feelings, your perceptions. I suggest you test this logic — instead of ‘how much does he/she love me?’ consider that the question is ‘how do I feel about myself when I am with you?’
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for July 2014, #1004 | By Eric Francis
You may have too much to sort out emotionally or otherwise. If you want to resolve whatever is occupying your thoughts, you’ll need to make some observations and come to deeper understandings like a scientist would, and then slowly integrate them. I am suggesting that you try an approach that differs from the usual “don’t keep your feelings up in your head” advice that goes around, though for a reason — you seem to have so much happening that you need a method of evaluation. One thing you can evaluate is the priority level of any given situation or its sub-parts. You cannot do this based on an emotional response or reaction alone. There are things going on in your environment that are wholly the property of others, that have an influence on your life and that you have to address and adapt to. And in such a situation, the emotional level is not going to be helpful. Now, there are mental traps you need to be aware of, and one way to know you’re in one is when you find yourself going around and around. That is not evaluation, thought or observation. It is the emotions trying to run the mind. Over the next two months some situations in your personal life that have long seemed intractable are going to move. This will build gradually rather than all at once, as will your clarity.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 19, 2014, #1003 | By Eric Francis
Help, cooperation, friendship, freedom — something you want is much closer than you think. It may be so close you’re looking right over it. It’s a little like the guy who feels like your brother or the woman who feels like your sister, so you don’t bother thinking about them as a potential lover. Or it’s the thing you just do because you do it, and you don’t think about it as a career. It’s the thing that feels so normal you don’t notice how special it really is. Therefore pay attention to the ordinary, listen for the transcendent wisdom coming from someone you thought was just average, and honor the changing of the season at least three ways. That, too, is an example of the amazing in the everyday — the main thing being, it’s not really every day.
Weekly Horoscope for Thursday, June 12, 2014, #1002 | By Eric Francis
The sense of potential you may be feeling is tempered by what seem like the limits and boundaries of reality. Yet is this an internal or external block? It seems to be outside you, yet it’s worth asking whether you’re encountering an inner limit. Notice how you allocate your energy. Is there some out-of-control aspect of your life? If this is another person with whom you share an intimate bond, notice whether your energy flows around them or into them. Note what energy is returning to you. The deeper question, though, is whether and to what extent you’re able to influence your own emotions. Notice where you tend to lose your ability to keep a grip. There are some situations where you’ll want to let go of all control, though I suggest you have an idea in advance what you want those to be.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, June 6, 2014, #1001 | By Eric Francis
Sharing is a difficult concept for many people to grasp. Sharing an intimate partner seems impossible for a good few as well. What if you consider your intimate partner(s) to be the property of existence — first of themselves, then of the world? What if your privilege of holding them was similar to visiting a national park, which is yours because it’s a collective holding rather than an individual one? It might be easier to consider yourself, rather than someone else, in this light. It would at least be worth the experiment. Our concepts of ownership of others are difficult to see, and they are damning. That’s a dangerous combination because there are implied effects of a cause that’s not easily seen, perceived or acknowledged. Yet it’s easy to feel when you’re inviting or embracing an openness to existence, one that is not based on property rights but rather rests on the gentle foundation of existence itself.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 30, 2014, #1000 | By Eric Francis
Venus has returned to your birth sign, another way of saying that you’re getting a boost of confidence in understanding a matter of commitment that may have been testing your endurance. Commitment is not a competition, though it’s often presented that way. Controlling another person is not a precondition of being committed to them, though that’s a narrative that we are often conned into believing. In the life of every conscious person there comes that moment when they discover they must adopt different relationship values from the ones they got from their parents, and for you this time seems to have arrived. Fortunately, you know more than your parents did, you have more options, and you’re very likely to be more self-aware. What has not changed is the ongoing influence of peer pressure to make stupid decisions. Don’t fall for it.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for June 2014, #999 | By Eric Francis
Your relationships seem to throw you one opportunity after the next to rise above your own nature. The world is constantly demanding a higher level of maturity, attention and commitment. Such is the nature of Saturn in your opposite sign Scorpio. This transit won’t last forever, it’s indeed challenging and I promise you one thing: you will miss it when it’s over. Saturn presents challenges, and it also offers the circumstances that you need to meet them. In that sense, Saturn is eminently even-handed, though you may not see it that way. Speaking in the more immediate sense, but also related to Saturn, the theme of this month is a focus on money. It’s vital that you rethink some recent decisions, not waste your resources and make the most of the situations where you are compensated for your work. It’s essential that you find the meeting place between what you’re good at and its value to others, and maximize that relationship. Make sure you focus your efforts on what really matters to the person or organization that is paying you. Remember that you’re part of something larger than yourself, and that your role is to contribute energy and ideas. Reach for a whole-system approach — also known as a plus-plus symbiosis, or the greatest good for all concerned. That’s not the way of the world, but soon we’ll have no other choice.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 16, 2014, #998 | By Eric Francis
The past will stalk you to the extent that you let it. Note that the past is not a thing, but rather a set of perceptions, expectations and beliefs that were more appropriate for another time in your life. It may also extend to the results of choices you made in the past that still have some manifestation today, but not usually. If so, most of the time they are obvious and easy to address by making decisions. But the decisions might indeed be clouded by those perceptions, expectations and beliefs. You may not be the only one who needs to address these elements of history; someone close to you may be struggling to have a clear, tangible and useful opinion about the way things are versus how they were supposed to be. I would suggest here that these seemingly complicated, even convoluted, questions come down to, “Who am I now, and what do I want to do?”
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 2, 2014, #997 | By Eric Francis
Be aware that you may have a blind spot where certain personal matters are concerned. Most of the time that would be like looking directly at something and not seeing it. This blind spot is more like feeling something and not noticing you’re feeling it. Or it might be existing with a certainty of who you are, and not noticing that you may be having your doubts. You will learn more as you feel out the territory, which will happen as you rub against certain people and discover information that you did not know before. You might discover something you were not told; you may have a response that keys you in to what is appropriate and what is not; you may get a clue about an old relationship question that you’ve long puzzled over. There are moments when this feels like pure intuition at work. Yet it’s likely to be based on factual information that you are perceiving. Therefore, if you ‘sense’ something, seek the facts, ask the relevant questions, and use the information wisely.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for May 2014, #996 | By Eric Francis
The opening you’re trying to pass through is as narrow or as wide as your mind. Rather than push harder, I suggest you notice what you’re thinking and feel whether it’s flexible enough to stretch. In principle, thought should be the most flexible thing in existence; it’s made purely of ideas. Yet it seems that humanity has figured out how to cut through stone, mold steel and forge new elements more readily than it can change its mind, especially on a collective level. It’s challenging enough making any decisions at all, and more complex when a second person is added to the equation. Your intimate partners are on their own path at the moment, making choices entirely outside the realm where you can consciously influence them. But you have all the influence in the world over your own choices, if you can think of yourself as an individual and not as part of something larger. You might say that’s the challenge of the moment. This relates to how as a much younger person you could not make a move without some version of family approval. You may have figured out that you can, but in truth it takes most people a long, long time to get there. In order to accomplish this, you don’t need to assert your individuality to other people — you need to assert it to yourself.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 18, 2014, #995 | By Eric Francis
In order to think outside a container, it’s necessary to know its shape and its dimensions. Then it will be clear when you’re within a previously defined boundary, and when you’re outside. Once you’re in a larger space, you have the challenge of defining something that is essentially infinite. At that point, constraints can seem appealing, but you also know you’ve outgrown the ones you’ve lived in for so long. But you don’t need constraints; you need workable definitions and approaches to living, one of which would include flexibility. All of this starts with your mind and your imagination. You are accustomed to working not only with rigid concepts but also with limits on what you think is possible, what you’re capable of and what you’re willing to believe. If you start with the premise that anything is possible and some things are preferable, you will go light years toward accessing your deeper talent and sense of purpose. The intelligence source that you are currently tapping into (or that you can if you want) might feel like something ‘other than yourself’. That’s not really true, but if you have that feeling, you’re accessing a source of vital information that you can trust.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 11, 2014, #994 | By Eric Francis
Use your imagination, and at the same time notice when you’re expecting life to live up to your fantasy. I would say that one cancels the other out. Applying imagination is an active process, a sustained creative approach to living; expecting things to be the way you imagine them puts you in a passive role, that of hope and expectation. You need the active approach right now. One reason I say this is because life will offer you so much more when you take control of your creative power and put it to use for yourself. Another is because the kinds of challenges that you’ll be facing over the next week or two will be much more rewarding when you take up your role as director of the movie rather than an actor in it. Be aware that you’re under considerable pressure that you may only be dimly conscious of, and that is unlikely to have a name. Therefore I suggest you give yourself healthy vents and modes of expression that you explore as fully as you can until the Sun enters your sign on April 20. Then, plenty that was hidden will suddenly be apparent.
Planet Waves Inner Space Horoscope #993 for April 2014 | By Eric Francis
A maturity factor is being introduced into your life. It’s not the “act your age” kind of maturity. Rather, it’s more like “exist on the level of your true purpose, and strive every moment to fulfill that purpose.” The bottom line is being helpful all the time, and making sure that the right thing happens not just in your own life but, as best as you can facilitate, in the lives of the people around you. There is an element of submitting to the service, which is to say knowing how to be responsive to your environment. This is different from putting yourself first, even though you still have to take care of yourself. There are times when you will be called upon to put yourself second or last, and you’ll need to evaluate carefully whether that is actually appropriate. We live in a world where it’s easy to turn around and walk away, where it’s easy to take care of No. 1, and where plenty of conditioning encourages us to do so. You’re now getting information about looking right at the problem, asking for direct guidance what to do about it, and waiting for the response.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, March 28, 2014, #992 | By Eric Francis
You’re not in as tight of a corner as it may seem. In fact to the extent that you feel you’re under someone’s shadow, under their thumb or under their authority, you have the ability to focus and turn this into a productive situation. The main quality that’s being demanded of you is integrity. Such would include sincerity, the use of logic, and making sure that all of the basic minimums for which you may be responsible are covered. You can add to that consulting with those who are influenced by your movements and your choices, making sure they have a clue what to expect from you next. Take the time to enter a dialog and leave behind any reticence you may have to commit to a position by saying anything at all. You’re in a position of much greater influence than you may imagine, by which I mean the potential to effect positive change. Step out of the shadow and you will see that.
Planet Waves Monthly for April 2014, #991| By Eric Francis
You are well-placed to experience this month’s grand cross event in a supporting role, as an observer and voluntary participant. Your ruling planet Venus is in Pisces, happy, resourceful and a safe distance from the fireworks. Yet there is another dimension to this month’s activity, which involves a solar eclipse in your birth sign on April 29. Eclipses in your sign are ‘before and after’ events, demarcation points that shift the way you think about yourself. The theme of this eclipse is your identity as a relationship partner. Among the reasons that might be challenging is that it’s not easy for you to shift any facet of your identity; you tend to camp out in what you know. Yet most of what we know about ‘being a partner’ comes from two sources: our parents, most of whom struggled to have a single clue about this, and the rest from social conditioning such as fairy tales, movies, television and then a whole heap of peer pressure. The beauty of an eclipse is that it’s a wildcard. Circumstances may seem to be operating outside of your control, yet in truth you have the full power of choice. Give yourself a break, observe what is right for you, and remember most people around you will be so invested in other matters they are unlikely to notice, much less judge, your conclusions.
Horoscope #990 Unavailable
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, #989| By Eric Francis
You have been through many changes and investigated many layers of yourself. This spirit of seeking self-knowledge is spreading into your environment, and may seem to take over a relationship partner’s orientation on life. You are not merely a passive observer here. You have provided a potent example of what is possible, and the benefits of growth, and you continue to serve as a catalyst. This has been both inspiring to others, and a little scary. One weird thing about the times we’re in is a pervasive fear that if someone makes one change, they will have to rearrange their whole life. If they admit one point of denial, they will have to embrace the whole truth. The solution is not to cling to the past, or to established patterns. Neither is it viable for chaos to be the cost of progress. There is a narrow line between these things, and you’re walking it right now. One challenge you face is not allowing anyone else’s self-doubts to shake you up; you could say that your current situation is designed to show you just how confident you’ve become. That is good news for everyone.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope for March 2014, #988 | By Eric Francis
You may feel like you’re trying to fit your ideas about yourself through a tiny opening — as if it’s impossible to have enough context to make a real decision about who you are or what you want. The tight space you’re going through will help you prioritize and focus. Think of what you’re doing as making micro-decisions, and consider any choice or adjustment a microcosm of the whole. It’s not merely that small choices add up to larger direction. Rather, each stems from a larger idea of what you want. There is tremendous power contained in reckoning these details and seeing their relationship to who you are. It’s easy to think that our lives hinge on the huge decisions we make. Yet even the most monumental changes of direction require many small adjustments to make them real. Therefore, you can think of each little observation or maneuver as an affirmation of who you are and what you want. This can involve the details of what you eat, how you spend money, how you spend your time (especially that) and where you invest your emotional energy. Your charts suggest you’re at a major crossroads that may not come across as such. You may have no specific validation — yet. Therefore, live well and live consciously, and trust that you’re coming around one of the most significant turns in many years.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, #987 | By Eric Francis
Be on the lookout for influences designed to confuse or disrupt, into which you might wander unwittingly. Actually, you’ll be able to see these things from a distance if you look up and away from your feet as you walk; then you can take some other direction. Speaking of, I suggest you refrain from discussing longterm plans with those who are not your actual friends. Without veering into paranoia, notice the strategies and agendas of the people around you, and make careful note of them. At the moment, you’re susceptible to negative influences, and the ideas of those whose faith in themselves has been injured can have an impact on you. I suggest, therefore, you focus on spending time with people whose viewpoint is creative and positive — who are doing life-affirming things and who strive to include others rather than compete with them. Elitism has its appeal, but it turns out to be toxic. Thankfully, there are alternatives.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Feb. 7, 2014, #986 | By Eric Francis
You may already be getting the message to get serious and focus on your work, and your highest goals. This is the time to put those together — to recognize the relationship between achievement, reputation and developing your competence. Those three factors will continue to add up to one thing: self-confidence. There are markers in your solar chart that you’re cultivating faith in yourself, though I’ve noticed this is something that needs to be claimed, taken possession of, and put to good use. You can ask yourself the question, “Were I more confident, what would I do?” Meanwhile, beware of social diversions this weekend. They are precisely that. Devote your time with friends to the ones who matter the most. ‘The crowd’ loves to waste its time — I suggest you make contact with someone, or with a few people, who you care about deeply. There is the potential for some profound honesty and emotional exchange.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 31, 2014, #985 | By Eric Francis
This may be one of the great moments in many years for knowing and understanding who you are. This has not been an easy aspect of life for you, though suddenly you are making actual progress — and you feel it. You may have discovered that where self-knowledge is concerned, the answers you get are only as helpful as the questions you ask are meaningful. To ask meaningful questions requires some knowledge. At the very least, you’ve come this far. In this, you seem to have discovered the secret to having faith in yourself. That’s the one about how much better it is to make a significant discovery by yourself, on your own terms. That will come in handy when someone you care about embarks on their own inner journey. Those close to you have learned something from your inner quest, and you have a feel for the appropriate space to hold when someone else is there.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscopes for February 2014, #984 | By Eric Francis
Venus will soon complete a rare retrograde (nothing of its kind has happened since 1803), which has taught you many things about the social conditioning that helped shape your character. One theme is the extent to which people who influenced you as a child were serving their own interests but tried to make it seem like they were doing you a favor. While this helped make you into the gritty and self-reliant person that you are, it’s taken a cost — and you seem determined to reclaim what you’ve given up. When the retrograde ends on Jan. 31, you may be left with the feeling that you’ve come close to some profound truth but could not break through to the core idea. The barrier between how far you’ve gone and what you actually want to possess is thin enough to push your hand through. It may not look that way, but it will feel that way if you use your tactile senses. In practical terms, when you encounter a belief about yourself or about the world, notice how you feel. Anything involving guilt can be considered suspect. Same for obligation you feel that does not have something productive in it for everyone, or where you come out on the short end of the deal. Question any form of any equation that includes, “You should dislike yourself because…”
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, #983 | By Eric Francis
You sense something big is coming on — a revelation in the true sense; a creative burst; the opportunity to have an experience you’ve wanted for a long time. That moment has not quite arrived, but it’s inevitable. Meanwhile, this would be an excellent moment to reflect on how restless you’ve been for how long. You’ve spent much of your energy in recent years adapting to your own emotional instability, and that constant adaptation has eaten up a lot of energy. You’ve been encountering a series of stabilizing forces that have given you a chance to relax and put some of your resources into more creative endeavors, and I suggest you keep up with that process. You face a risk that you can head off early on, which is the potential to respond defensively to an opportunity from which you will only benefit.
Weekly Horoscope for Friday, Jan. 10, 2014, #982 | By Eric Francis
The thing to learn is how to say yes and no, and mean what you say. Human consciousness runs on a binary system, involving affirming and denying. If you look around, you’ll notice that many, many people lack a clear yes and a clear no. I suggest you observe yourself for a few days and see how you do — are you truly clear about asserting to yourself and to others what you want and what you don’t want? Notice the emotions associated with these two basic positions, which do nothing more or less than guide you through your life. As you get clearer, you will start to have more faith in yourself. You will trust what you know with greater clarity; you will feel less confused; you will have a different sense of the future. Indeed, you will begin to believe that you actually have a future.
Planet Waves Monthly Horoscope — January 2014, #981 | By Eric Francis
Faith is your rock, or said another way, the axis around which your world turns. Yes, you may have your doubts. They will come and go. But they are part of the ‘turning world’ rather than the beam of faith around which it spins. Despite many challenges and the demand to call yourself fully present for everything you do, you’ve maintained a steady course of growth, of achievement and living in the moment rather than being lost in ancient history. Your chart suggests that you’ve been burrowing your own path through the remnants left to you by many ancestors whose combined influence has added up to little more than a reason to pretend you don’t have the strength to do what you came to the world to do. Once you admit that you possess actual faith in yourself, you will see your doubts in perspective, and they will be far less meaningful. The one element that is calling for a special focus is the exchange of resources angle of your chart — the zone where you share a field of influence with another person, often in intimate situations. You seem to come up against one circumstance after the next where there is a question — though as you’re probably learning, the solution is always spiritual. Love, forgiveness and understanding will light your way.