Chris Cuomo looks incredulously at Rudy Giuliani when the former NYC mayor and current Trump TV lawyer denies that he denied that Team Trump colluded with the Russians. Once again, the Nessus-Neptune conjunction was in the picture — right on the horizon.

Dear Friend and Reader:

I was having breakfast with a friend in Woodstock this morning, notebook out, pencil in hand, trying to think of an appropriate title to tonight’s article. “They Must Be Fucking Kidding” kept coming to mind.

So let’s see, the federal government has been shut down for nearly a month, and people are being ordered back to work — without pay, on threat of being fired. That’s known as slavery, or it should be.

Volunteers hand out food to furloughed workers and their family at a community potluck in Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland, near where 75,000 federal employees live. Dave Asche via NPR. Coverage here.

People who are worrying about how to pay the rent are screening passengers boarding airplanes. Air traffic controllers, the people who make sure that only one plane at a time is landing on a runway (one of the most stressful jobs in the world), have to think about grocery money.

Is there a GoFundMe where I can buy some of them dinner? (Actually, there are many springing up currently.)

Federal agencies are advising employees to hold yard sales, or do side work as dog walkers, to raise a little extra cash to feed the kids or buy insulin.

Then in the midst of the pain and chaos churned up by cutting off federal services and refusing to pay 800,000 workers — which impacts their families and numerous contractors; and which is choking their employees, communities and related industries (such as hotels supported by tourism to national parks) — the president of the United States was asked if he’s working as a Russian agent. And he could not give a straight answer.

He did not say no.

He was asked on Fox News, by a friendly reporter, not one of those fake-news hoodlums from CNN. And in reply, he said that the question was “the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked” — despite the fact that the issue has been lingering around for two years. It’s important to listen to what people say, and don’t say.

He did not say no, even as his former campaign manager sits in solitary (ostensibly to protect him from the Russian mafia), his former personal lawyer is about to go to jail, his former national security advisor pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about communicating with the Russians, and his former attorney general had to recuse himself for lying to Congress about contact with the Russians.

Rudy Spills the Beans on CNN

But the cat’s meow came on Wednesday night’s edition of Cuomo Prime Time on CNN, hosted by Chris Cuomo, brother of New York’s governor and son of its late great Gov. Mario Cuomo. He was interviewing hizzonner Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and current TV lawyer to the president.

Wilhelm Reich warned us about this.

Rudy was having one of those classically Italian verbal aneurisms, live on-air, complete with rolling eyeballs and two-handed gesticulation and everything.

“The amount of false reporting on this case has been despicable,” said Rudy (referring to the Russia case), a bit reminiscent of Daffy Duck (the only other cartoon character to use that word).

Cuomo attempts to reason with him: “Mr. Mayor, false reporting is saying that nobody in the campaign had any contacts with Russia. False reporting is saying there has been no suggestion of any kind of collusion between the campaign and any Russians. Because now you have Paul Manafort giving poll data that winds up leading to this coincidence — ”

Giuliani cuts him off.

“You just misstated my position. I never said there was no collusion between the campaign, or between people and the campaign –”

“Yes you did,” Cuomo presses him.

“I have not. I said the president of the United States. There is not a single bit of evidence the president of the United States committed the only crime he could commit here, conspired with the Russians to hack the DNC,” the Democratic National Committee.

Cuomo is astonished. The president’s TV lawyer has just admitted on TV that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians. You have to decode this slightly; political speech is never direct, and lawyers are masters of dancing around the point. What Giuliani is saying in perfect Doublespeak is that the campaign was involved with the Russians but the candidate (now president) was not, and he didn’t know about it.

The former federal prosecutor admits that it would be a crime if he did. The same president who won’t just say he’s not a Russian asset. Who acts a lot like one; who invites a bunch of Russians into his office without the American press present the day after he fired the “nut-job” FBI director, admitting the firing was to end the Russia investigation. He meets with Vladimir Putin without other officials present, and takes away the written notes of his translator. Not only that, he orders the translator not to talk to other members of the administration.

OK I can see keeping secrets from the public; that’s what he’s supposed to do. But keeping secrets from top White House officials? That’s a little weird.

Is anyone paying attention?

The Nessus-Neptune Conjunction, Again

I didn’t need to cast the chart to know the astrology. Last week, we covered the Nessus-Neptune conjunction in Pisces. That’s the one that shows up prominently in the chart of Trump announcing his candidacy, the 2016 election, the 2017 inauguration, and the president’s The Wall speech from early last week (yes, just last week). It’s the same conjunction that shows up visibly in the 2020 election and the 2021 inauguration.

The discussion was happening at about 9 pm on the East Coast, which this time of year means Virgo rising and which means the conjunction in Pisces would be on the horizon, lingering there thick and hazy.

Just as Giuliani was making his comments, Neptune and Nessus were setting beneath the western horizon; Neptune was exactly conjunct the horizon (note the value of 14 next to both). This conjunction seems to follow Trump around. We covered it extensively last week.

This conjunction represents the toxic fog machine that’s spewing anesthesia night and day, of which the Trump phenomenon has made excellent use. Using every available metaphor in astrology, it’s hard to come up with something better than Nessus and Neptune in Pisces to say delusional, deceptive, vengeful, reeking bullshit — and the more of that “magic” you use, the more it comes back to you.

The magic involved is the sorcery aspect of electronic media; what we are seeing today may be supported by the internet (a kind of forgetfulness, loss of context and brain rot). But to me the source of the delusions feels like television (think, reality television and we’re all in the show) — which is of course how Trump made his rise to power. And which is now starting to choke him off.

It’s possible to use this same combination of factors (Nessus, Neptune, Pisces) to ramp up the accountability and truth factor, if anyone is interested. Nessus has the property of “the buck stops here” and Neptune has the property of “it all comes out in the wash.” Pisces is the ocean that will eventually swallow everything. This is the same astrology under which the Special Counsel’s investigation is taking place — and this investigation has had tangible results.

For anyone tempted to revert to cynicism about government, I suggest we remember that there has been accountability within this environment; the truth is known, because it has been found out. There have been three dozen indictments, there have been guilty pleas, there has been a conviction in a criminal jury trial (of former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, the pin in the pinwheel, who is about to burst back into the news at full strength).

And it would appear that we are getting close to the Special Counsel’s office releasing the report of its investigation. Anyone with hopes or fears of that remaining “confidential” is dreaming. We live in the inside-out electronic age. Absolutely nothing is secret, though the impact of everything is muted and flattened by the internet. My sense, though, is that what it contains will be devastating to Trump and what is left of his administration.

Chart for Monday morning’s total lunar eclipse in Leo, set for Washington, D.C. The eclipse is easy to see — it’s the highest thing in the chart, on the presidential angle (the 10th house cusp). To the left, Pallas Athene, the asteroid of politics and justice, is rising. To the right, the Uranus-Eris conjunction is on the horizon. See full chart here.

More attention needs to be paid to his fetus-funeral loving, holy-rolling vice president (who could be the embodiment of fascism wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross). To safely get rid of Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew had to be taken out first (for taking cash bribes in the White House; he pleaded guilty to one federal charge of tax evasion and resigned).

Total Eclipse in Leo

Overnight Sunday to Monday (9:15 pm PST, 12:15 am EST), there will be a total eclipse of the Moon. If I may venture into a little medieval prognostication (that’s how Neil deGrasse Tyson described my work in one of his books): eclipses in Leo are not good for the king. In this case, that includes the president, who is acting like a king, governing by fiat.

We have had a series of solar eclipses in Leo, during a presidency that has been one disaster after the next (well, not really a disaster, which means “against the stars”; the Trump administration has been very much with the stars). The Trump presidency has been a perfectly good train wreck. It amazes me that there is one single person who thinks this is the way a country should be run, particularly with so many urgent global matters pressing on us, all the time. To think that any of this insanity is a good idea, one would have to be angry to the point of vengeful.

Varuna says keep your promises.

The Moon has a property of bringing in the public, and an eclipse of the Moon will magnify that effect. It’s noteworthy that this eclipse will be visible high in the night sky over Washington, D.C., assuming it’s clear out. In the middle of one of the greatest presidential crises in history, the Moon will go out right over the White House, in the sign associated with the national ruler.

Given that we’re talking about the Moon, this to me looks like a watershed in public support. Were we talking about the Russia matter alone (I am aware this includes Russia, Israel and Saudi Arabia, though I have not written about it), that might not be enough. Yet this is set in the context of this insane, cruel, and dangerous federal shutdown/meltdown.

This is a Full Moon eclipse, and those put pressure on deadlocks and impasses, and this pressure should be coming from the public. Think of a lunar eclipse as drawing back the veil of the Moon and revealing what is behind it. Right back there is a lot of energy, in the form of a slow-moving hypothetical point called Vulkanus: energy from below, rising up.

Another point within one degree is Varuna, an important object in the Kuiper belt. Varuna is often shown carrying a noose, which is a warning to those who would violate oaths and contracts. You might say that Varnua is an enforcer of agreements. It’s also an equalizer and can describe “the fall of the mighty” who are then put into their correct place.

Remember that the wider context of current events is the Pluto return of the United States. That’s why so many people are acting like nothing matters.

Perhaps not to them.

With love,

PS — In case you didn’t see it, here’s that link to Go Fund Me pages of federal employees. Hearing these stories is making me appreciate having food and heat more than ever. Let’s do what we can, even if just a little. Thank you. PLEASE GIVE TO THE CAMPAIGNS THAT ARE NOT DOING SO WELL.

Making Your Moves: Leo Full Moon and Eclipse

By Amanda Painter

We’re entering the home stretch of the current eclipse season: on Monday, Jan. 21 (Jan. 20 in some time zones), we’ll get the Leo Full Moon and a total lunar eclipse. This occurs one day after the Sun enters Aquarius — which happens at 3:59 am EST (8:59:25 UTC) on Jan. 20.

Lunar eclipse between the statues of Hera and Apollo in Athens, Greece, on July 27, 2018. Monday’s event will be visible from North and South America, Europe and western Africa. Central and eastern Africa and Asia will see a partial eclipse of the Moon. Photo by Aris Messins.

So there will be a shift in tone accompanying this event — fitting enough, given the way modern astrology views eclipses as times for releasing what has run its course and for moving into a new pattern or toward a new phase of development.

This is also the last eclipse on the Leo-Aquarius axis for the time being. In whatever way it relates to the eclipses of this past summer for you, there may be a sense of closing a chapter or springboarding into new territory.

That said, I have to level with you: I don’t feel like I have a clear grasp yet on the chart for this particular eclipse. There are some curious minor objects and points in close aspect to the Sun and Moon, and I have some inchoate thoughts about them, but their story is not speaking to me coherently. I going to list them here and see where it takes me; feel free to comment if you have some ideas:

Nestled near the Leo Moon and lunar North Node in Cancer are Varuna and the Uranian point Vulkanus in Leo, and Dionysus in the last degree of Cancer. Tucked between the lunar South Node in Capricorn and the Aquarius Sun is the asteroid Karma in Capricorn (that, at least, seems to underscore the South Node’s themes). Square the Moon and Sun are Requiem and Rhadamanthus in Scorpio, and Phaethon in Taurus.

It’s an interesting combination — since Varuna, Requiem and Rhadamanthus all have rather somber themes, relating to various forms of judgment, assessment, honoring and loss; and then we have Phaethon, Vulkanus and Dionysus relating to very energetic outward expressions (with varying results). There seems to be something here embodying the dual expressions of Aquarius, also: the revolution and innovation of Uranus, and the restraint and crystallization of Saturn. As you may know, those two forces must work in balance with each other, ideally, for sustainable growth.

Continue reading…

Responses to the INTELLIGENCE — RESET Annual Readings

Dear Friend and Reader:

Between the challenges we face every day, the sense of uncertainty that we live with, and the chaos churned up by the digital environment, it can be hard to find some peace of mind, let alone encouragement and real inspiration. Here is where astrology comes in: there is a future, and you are included.

The 12 RESET audio readings and upcoming written readings that are part of the 2019-2020 INTELLIGENCE annual readings are designed to bring you into contact with the astrology so you can light up your mind, let go of the past, and envision your future.

We’ve been receiving incredible feedback from customers of the RESET audio portion of the INTELLIGENCE 2019 annual readings — here are just a few samples. You can learn more here.

Perfectly descriptive of where I’ve been, where I am. And such practical advice I should stick it to my forehead, and on every wall. I can’t underscore enough — listening was like having a combined microscopic/macroscopic view of my life, confirmation of my own thoughts about moving forward — but with practical questions and steps to help with that. I shouldn’t be so surprised at this point — but I am. Especially about a couple of parts which I hadn’t even yet fully articulated to myself. Thank you.

— M. LeTourneau

After all of these years receiving your readings, I still am in awe of your gift. And I am so grateful for your guidance all these years. This reading finds me so heartbroken as you rightly describe the “destabilizing” events of the Leo eclipses. You point the way forward and I take comfort that it is written in the stars. Sending much love.

— Dion Murphy

Have to say that this year’s reading has gone above and beyond my expectations. The capacity to speak to us at our various levels of consciousness as if it was a ‘personal’ reading is extraordinary. So helpful to have a summary of the year that was for ‘sense making’ and determining the inner work traversed. It has not been for the faint of heart. Onwards we tread in a time that is challenging and requires the best of all we have. Thank you, Eric and team. Your work is stellar and I appreciate its depth and integrity as we navigate the paths.

— Rebekah O’Rourke

This is the best Virgo reading I’ve heard on Planet Waves, in that it gives Virgo the agency it deserves without any of that tiresome ‘self-criticism-holds-you-back’ stuff you hear so much. Integrating the 2018 Mars and Venus retrogrades into this reading is so helpful in understanding the dynamic of Chiron and Uranus changing signs/houses. Thank you for the 7th house Neptune/Nessus talk, and the 8th house/Chiron piece. As a Virgo rising I could list so many ways this reading applies to my circumstances, but I’ll save that for my journal. So great to listen to this on the last day of the calendar year, usually such a retrospective/prospective time. Thank you!

— Cheryl Corson

Here are your purchase options:

All 12 Audio Readings Only — $99

All 12 Written and Audio Readings — $133

Individual signs, written and audio — $44 for the first sign, $22 for each additional sign.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Aquarius Birthdays 2019-20
Start Your Year off Right This Eclipse Season

Attention Aquarius Sun, Rising and Moon Readers:

Did you know that the second eclipse in the current pair is in your ‘relationship sign’ Leo? It’s a total lunar eclipse with the Leo Full Moon on Jan. 20-21.

This could prove an interesting follow-up event to this past summer’s eclipses — which, I realize, were pretty rough for many Aquarians. How are you doing now that you’ve had a few months to re-orient yourself?

To assist with that process, you can pre-order your 2019 Aquarius Astrology Studio for just $33, and we’ll let you know as soon as each of the three parts are ready: the two astrology sections, and the Tarot reading. As full publication nears, the price increases.

“Absolutely amazing. Beyond words how pertinent this reading is for my life right now. Even more powerful the second time.”

— Ronny Khalil, previous reading customer

Your solar year begins with a significant astrological event — one that will continue to reverberate for another six to twelve months or so. How will you make the most of it?

Wishing you all the best this eclipse season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. If you have any questions, please email us at cs@planetwaves.net — or call (845) 481-5616 and someone will get back to you soon.

Unpresidented? Well, Not Yet. But…

By Amanda Painter

For the briefest of split seconds, I was amazed: the email from The Washington Post yesterday clearly said that Trump had abandoned the presidency in the wee hours of the morning, and Michael Pence had been sworn in as Chief Executive for a “clipped duck” term. Then I noticed the date it mentioned: May 1, 2019 — which has not occurred yet.

Too wary of clicking on any of the links in what was (at that point) clearly a ‘fake’ email (I’ve never signed up for WaPo alerts), I tried Googling the news; no luck. I got a sneaking suspicion that it might be a Yes Men activism prank, and forwarded the email to my Planet Waves cohorts.

Volunteers distribute a lookalike ‘special edition’ of The Washington Post on Wednesday morning. Photo by Tasos Katopodis for Yes Labs.

About twenty-five minutes later, a ‘retraction’ email — still from the fishy-looking alleged WaPo address — arrived in my inbox. This definitely smacked of the Yes Men’s M.O., so I tried Google again. Sure enough: the interwebs were now sprouting reports of activists handing out fake issues of WaPo to early morning commuters in Washington D.C., and reports of the emails masquerading as the storied newspaper — all attributed to the Yes Men and affiliated activists.

Later in the afternoon came the big ‘reveal’ email, and an explanation: the purpose was to draw attention to the wheels we could put in motion, and to some of the tactics we can use: mainly, “a women-led, multi-racial grassroots resistance” that targets “those who support the tyrant, rather than the tyrant himself.” The stunt was also designed to highlight 64 congressional bills with wide support across the political spectrum — such as the New Green Deal and Medicare for All.

“The story this paper tells is more reasonable than our current reality,” says author Onnesha Roychoudhuri, who created the paper together with author L.A. Kauffman and trickster activist collective the Yes Men. “And it’s anything but far-fetched. We’re already seeing unprecedented levels of protest and resistance. Now we just need to ask ourselves: What’s next? This paper offers a blueprint to help us reclaim our democracy.”

“This newspaper is a fantasy,” says Kauffman, “but it’s rooted in both reality and scholarship. Our stories build on real-world resistance to Trump and insights about how ordinary people can dislodge an unfit leader.”

And ordinary people dislodging unfit leaders is, thankfully, quite well precedented in actual, factual history.

Ashokan Reservoir, Ulster County, New York. Photo by Eric.

A Few Hours of Peace and Sanity

Dear Friend and Listener:

In this week’s Planet Waves FM [play edition here], I have something for you that may be rare to find: a few hours of peace and sanity.

The United States is perched on the brink of madness. The president is being investigated as a Russian spy. He has shut down the federal government, which is grinding to a halt. Air traffic centers are not properly staffed.

iMac selfie a few minutes after finishing tonight’s program.

The National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Service, the Food and Drug Administration, and every other agency is closing its doors — right down to the federal courts. The president’s Secret Service detail is working without pay because he’s throwing a tantrum. (See an overview of the status of the government here.)

And I’m here this week with a calm, low-key look at the astrology, mellow music, and a few ideas to consider. I look at the Nessus-Neptune conjunction that I discussed in Thursday’s edition for subscribers; I look at the compound square from Aries to Capricorn, and consider how that might be manifesting.

In the last segment, I am back with Tantra Studio, and a discussion on the topic of healing 101: where exactly do you begin? Who do you work with? What do you do with your pain and anger?

Planet Waves FM is part of the Pacifica Radio Network, and is supported by your contributions to Chiron Return, Inc., and by our one “corporate” sponsor, the INTELLIGENCE reading from Planet Waves. If you want to show your appreciation by being a one-time or monthly sponsor, please visit this link.

This week’s program is hosted on the INTELLIGENCE website, which in addition to offering affordable astrology readings also has many free resources to explore: written, audio, the monthly horoscope and much more.

Thank you for tuning in.

With love,

Listen to Vision Quest on Live Stream

Planet Waves has an in-house music ensemble, called Vision Quest. We have a 38-hour loop of our music, which you can listen to any time. Included are finished pieces, rehearsals, live concerts, drum grooves, and spoken word recordings. I consider it a kind of musical divination. Click in randomly at different times of day and see what you discover.

Our Gifts to You: A Little Something Extra

Dear Friend and Reader:

It took me a long time to figure out what kind of gift to offer for new and returning subscribers. Tee shirts seemed too complicated; you need at least six sizes to get started, and not everyone wants a shirt. Tote bags are useful but kind of boring.

So I thought: journals. I love notebooks, and just about everything I write starts scribbled down on paper. I know my readers are a little old-fashioned, so this seemed like the perfect thing.

Black smaller, pink larger, embossed with the Planet Waves logo. There are a few hand painted sketchbooks left, with heavy, acid-free paper.

Then…I researched embossed journals for about six months. That’s how long it took. I requested or purchased samples of the best that suppliers had, and all kinds of stuff came floating in the door. It was more challenging than I imagined to find a nice one, though finally I did.

Everything had to be right: the paper, the lines, and how the book feels in your hands.

However, the one I selected was being discontinued. I ordered as many as we could reasonably afford. We now have two main options: small black ones, and larger pink ones (these are new).

Together, they are the approximate color of Good & Plenty candy. I am one of these people who loves anything pink (sweatshirts, nail polish, headbands, a hot pink Squier guitar that I gave to Zosha a few years ago). We also have a few hand-painted notebooks left, which are acid-free sketchbooks.

You can get an embossed notebook with any monthly, quarterly or yearly membership to Planet Waves. If, by the way, there’s a calling for hand-painted ones, I will make one more-or-less to your preferences (for those who sign up for a full-year Backstage Pass).

Continue reading this letter here.

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for January on Thursday, Jan. 1 and on the INTELLIGENCE website. Your extended monthly horoscopes for December were published on Thursday, Dec. 6. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Do not allow yourself to be led astray; at this stage in your life, there can be no such thing. If you find yourself making choices based on belief, or hope, pause and make them based on known facts. You do seem to have considerable responsibility on your shoulders at this time, though you are not alone. You can take on the weight of the world, or you can form bonds and associations with others that help you get the job done. That would seem to be your role more than doing all the work yourself, which will require cultivating the art of collaboration, engaging in negotiation processes, and sharing credit for any achievements. Yet you can still be a guiding force for any major work that needs to be done, whether in a professional context or that of your family. Even so, you also have the ability to mislead with “good intentions” or spiritual platitudes. Make sure that all actions are grounded in some practical necessity, and a confrontation with the facts. Get your full Aries reading by Eric here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — Keep your focus on the practical — what you need to get done, and why. Gradually, you will assemble the parts of a much larger picture. Use time to your benefit, and take the flexibility that you have. If you’re feeling squeezed, evaluate whether certain deadlines can be extended for a short time. Others may lend themselves to postponement. The moment you’re feeling stressed by deadlines, get out of your head, break down your schedule, and do a reality check with your colleagues and collaborators. It’s true there are certain pressing matters that must be attended to, including a few things you need to wipe off your slate. Be eager to resolve or dispense with any project or task that is toast, or that you’re ready to move on from. Greater accomplishments await you, and when the Sun changes signs to Aquarius in about a week, you will be engaging some bold new plans. Therefore, clear the stumbling blocks from your path. Get your full Taurus reading by Eric here.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — You must count on yourself to attain the goals you’ve set for yourself. Any help that comes your way will be nice, though you must be the editor-in-chief, the reporter and the production manager. Only you understand not just the brass tacks of the situations, but also the many commitments that are involved. Beware of anyone who talks a big game, or who makes a claim without having specific facts and figures to back themselves up. Do not be afraid to ask the hard questions, and to size up in cold terms who is committed and who is not, based on their behavior, and whether they back up what they have promised. Your chart suggests you’re at a moment of truth, where you must confront the reality of a situation you might prefer to overlook. Be willing to face the bottom line, and to move on from anyone who has proven to be unreliable or has let you down. In our times, we’re supposed to run in circles, hoping people will wake up. Save your time and energy. Get your full Gemini reading by Eric here.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Recent events connected to the Capricorn solar eclipse may have shaken you up and altered some of your plans, though you have made a fast recovery. Now, you must keep nearly all of your focus on financial issues, and safeguarding your long-term security. In many ways, you’re at the point of making a clean break from the past, and clearing your accounts. That is the spirit in which to proceed. While you’re doing this, you will have an opportunity to focus your priorities and ensure that what you’re doing is in tune with your most deeply held values. Make this a high priority: now is the time to refine your life plan and pull yourself into alignment (or closer alignment) with what matters to you the most. There will be opportunities for collaboration, including potential contact with investors. The right people to work with are the ones who are the most deeply connected to, and impressed by, your adherence to a life code that you live by every day. Get your full Cancer reading by Eric here.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You must balance a long-range approach to the important questions in your life with taking care of immediate needs. This may seem impossible, as you toggle between one and the other, trying to gain some balance, or to integrate these two levels of priorities. For a while it may seem like you have to emphasize one, and give up the other, then run back to the other and so on. Eventually you will integrate the two processes. But you can start now. Obviously, immediate concerns must take priority over long-term, yet there is a way to take care of your day-to-day responsibilities that involves consciously setting yourself up for the future. This is about being aware of how every step you take in the moment sets you further on your path, or serves as a digression. So the way out of the toggle is the mindfulness to focus each choice and each task in alignment with your greater plan and your greater good. Tune in to your guidance; tune in to your vision; you will find your direction. Get your full Leo reading by Eric here.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Make sure everything passes the sniff test, particularly offers or proposals from others. Try things in the short run to see whether they might work in the long run. Meanwhile, you need others far less than you might imagine. At this stage, you’re like an artist working diligently in your studio, who does not need an assistant. The dregs of yesterday’s coffee will suit you fine, if it means not being interrupted. Only you understand what you really need to do, why you need to do it, and how to do it correctly. At a certain point soon, you’ll want to work with others, but don’t rush it. You are onto something, and in order to accomplish what you need to do, you are, in a sense, the content of your own work. You are the sculpture, the poem, the book, the painting, the project that you’re working on. Allow yourself to be obsessed. Check the mail every day and make sure your electricity doesn’t get turned off because you forgot to write the check. Get your full Virgo reading by Eric here.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — Don’t allow yourself to be too distracted by family or partnership matters. Yes, that may be like saying “ignore the traffic jam on the Cross Bronx Expressway during the evening rush hour,” which you can in fact do if you break out a map and find your way around the bottleneck. Indeed, matters are not so urgent as they may seem, and the most helpful approach will be to keep your sense of humor handy. It will also help to take a natural approach to endings, and make a point of welcoming specific ones into your life. Certain situations have run their course, which you will soon see is a positive thing. However, these days it’s trendy to live in the past and cling to what you have. I would describe that as a bad habit, and one that blocks many other possibilities from your view. Thought of another way, clinging to the past gnaws away at your confidence. Keep your mind on the future and on your considerable potential and you will feel bold and assertive. Let things happen at their own pace. Get your full Libra reading by Eric here.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Be careful to regulate your finances carefully over the next few weeks. Don’t overestimate your cash reserves, and don’t take chances speculating. You will want to spend on luxuries, but you can keep it down to a dull roar and still have fun. Yet you need to watch the numbers carefully, including short- and medium-range income, your bank balances, and the pace at which you spend. Use credit with extreme caution (zero interest rate preferred). But the real matter seems to be making sure your immediate priorities are in line with your long-term vision for yourself. If you’re going to make an investment, choose from a list of things you’ve had in mind for a long time — more than a year or two. Now is not the time to be spontaneous but it’s a good time to gradually engage your more important plans, particularly if they involve putting you in a better position to produce whatever it is you make. That said, there is a very good chance you already have everything you need — so check before you spend. Get your full Scorpio reading by Eric here.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Check at every turn that you’re not deceiving yourself, whether consciously or ‘unconsciously’. The deception could be sly: such as feeling like you have more confidence than is appropriate, or like something is undermining your confidence. The one thing you must not do is set your expectations too high, whether for the amount of a return on effort, or the timeframe involved. The place to invest your energy is in the willingness to do the nuts and bolts work of getting your result. Do not expect anything to happen by itself, as if by magic. You know this from long experience, though you might be especially inclined to forget this week. Stick to a core set of priorities and focus on them. The current exact square between your ruler Jupiter and its close cousin Neptune requires you to be realistic about everything, particularly matters of scale. Get a small thing working well, then expand it. This is preferable to starting huge and having to cut back. Get your full Sagittarius reading by Eric here.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — You have a lot going on in your life, as if some process more complicated than you anticipated has been set in motion by the recent solar eclipse in your birth sign. The thing that’s essential to remember and put into practice is that this is about inner work. You may be inclined to focus on your image, which means how you present yourself or some facet of your appearance. This would be guiding your intentions and your focus in the wrong direction; the correct direction is toward your challenges. Yet there may be so much going on that it seems helpful to have a diversion of some kind. You have your options open socially, though I suggest you place yourself in environments where you can “come as you are,” with no changes to your appearance, no thought of impressing anyone, and a thoughtful atmosphere rather than one connected to partying. Yet this is still secondary. Right now it is your inner world that counts, not your outer one. Get your full Capricorn reading by Eric here.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — You may feel like your mind, and your desk, is a very busy airport, where the traffic controllers are being expected to come to work for free. You will benefit from putting your feelings and your plans into writing. This will help you clear your mind and maintain your focus. You feel like you’re under more pressure than you really are. This is particularly true if certain fears seem to get your attention more than your potential does. You will benefit from staying on-task. This is an approach that seems to have fallen by the wayside of modern digital life: knowing the difference between being busy and being productive. For you, productive means maintaining your focus on what you need to do next, based on what project is due the soonest. However, for the more complex, long-range tasks, you will benefit from setting up the project well in advance, so that when you come to it, you will not be looking at a blank page. So take a look ahead at what is due over the next three months, and set up your workbench or your work files sooner rather than later. Get your full Aquarius reading by Eric here.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — This week’s contact between Jupiter and Neptune may be challenging for some, though for you, it’s providing remarkable assistance in focusing your vision. You will know when something is the right thing to do, or a particular direction is the right one to take. If it is, you will seem to be drawn in its direction, and if it’s not, you’ll feel like you’re bumping into an invisible barrier that’s preventing you from moving forward. Meanwhile, Venus joining Jupiter in the bold Sagittarius midheaven angle of your chart is reminding you to keep the human touch. It is you and not your accomplishments or goals that will speak the most credibly. Present yourself as you are. Stay positive, stay visible, and be bold about your vision for your life and for the world. It’s true that we are in some very strange times at the moment, though you are uniquely situated to be able to handle the weirdness, deftly and elegantly. Fear no one. Let them be a little intimidated by you, then reveal how friendly you are. Get your full Pisces reading by Eric here.