Heaven Beside You by Christine Yates.

Dear Friend and Reader:

Some fresh faces have arrived on the political scene.

Did you ever have the experience of sitting in your living room on a spring day, with the windows open, and the sound of a leaf blower stops? And suddenly you feel a sense of relief, because that vile sound is gone, though you hadn’t consciously noticed it was even there. But you notice when it’s gone.

Emma Gonzalez is smiling, but she and her classmates mean business. Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have started a national student movement, which comes to its first peak on Saturday with the March for Our Lives protest in Washington, DC.

That’s how I feel about our new players on the political scene, whose presence makes their previous absence suddenly noticeable. One is a porn actress and director named Stephanie Gregory Clifford; better searched by her stage name, Stormy Daniels, or my preferred artistic name she sometimes uses, Stormy Waters.

The others are a whole bunch of kids from all over the United States, born in 2000 and after. Spurred to action by the Feb. 14 shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, it would seem that, finally, a new generation is stepping up to the challenges of our world. These are the kids who have declared that there have been enough school (and mall and movie theater and nightclub and concert) shootings and it’s time to rein in who gets to have a gun.

You might ask what these two new elements in the discussion have in common, besides being human. The answer is: they have something to say, and nothing to lose. Also, neither are wearing business suits.

I’m writing this article in advance of two big events scheduled to take place during the weekend of March 24-25. They are happening under similar astrology, which will peak the evening of March 25, when an interview with Stormy Daniels is scheduled to appear on 60 Minutes. Prior to that, the March for our Lives is planned for Saturday morning in Washington, DC, and in cities around the country.

As I write, just about everyone appearing in the news is drowning in their own deception: the massive Facebook data heist that helped Trump win (and Trump personally calling Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on getting “reelected”), the FBI being gutted, the Russia probe closing in on Trump’s business transactions; while everyone wonders whether Robert Mueller will get fired before he can get to the bottom of the mess. Trump recently fired the secretary of state via Twitter. He’s appointed a torturer to lead the CIA. And so on.

“I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also),” Trump tweeted, in response to everyone wanting to shove a fork in his ass. “The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing.” As a connoisseur of old quotes, I can tell you that’s one that will get better with age.

The week’s sunny spot was how the serial bomber in Austin was caught, and then blew himself up, without a single cop getting hurt. We are stretched for good news. Stormy Daniels is good news. Kids rising up against gun violence is good news. Both address two of the most serious issues now in the news: public corruption, and the gun lobby owning Congress and the presidency.

We now have to consider the actual reality of what Stormy Daniels does for a living, in the context of her political role. This is no Joe the Plumber. In the United States or anywhere I know of, we have never met a political figure who has put her vulva on open display. She is a living, breathing woman who shares her sexual pleasure, and those of her partners, for a living — and who has become the most powerful individual person on the political stage. We are leaving behind the usual rules of politics and have entered a reality that can only be comprehended using tantric theory.

First let’s consider Stormy Daniels. The astrology related to her broadcast is directly related to the March for Our Lives protest march the day before. The aspect of the weekend is Venus conjunct Eris.

Daniels had an affair with Donald Trump in 2006, shortly after his third wife and now First Lady of the Land, Melania, had given birth to his youngest child, Barron.

Then in late 2016, Daniels was paid $130,000 by Michael Cohen, one of Trump’s many lawyers, to sign a nondisclosure agreement and to keep silent about the affair.

In later news reports, we’ve also learned that she was allegedly coerced with threats of physical violence, making the $130K a kind of gratuity rather than an incentive.

Despite several legal actions by Daniels to dissolve the NDA, and by Trump’s camp to enforce it, Daniels has already completed the 60 Minutes interview, though Trump has brought legal action attempting to enforce prior restraint against the CBS network: that is, to have a court block a news outlet from reporting the news, in advance; something unprecedented in U.S. history. That alone tells us where he’s coming from: he is willing to block a person’s expression before anyone has a chance to consider it. This is not mere political expediency. I believe this is about his fear of being revealed for who he actually is, as a person.

It’s interesting that despite Trump’s usual shameless charade — he really does seem to have none — personally, I think he reeks with guilt and embarrassment, which are driving him insane. His counterpart in popular culture is South Park character Eric Cartman, who does things like take a dump on the teacher’s desk in front of the whole class. Cartman’s antics are an attempt to conceal that he is deeply troubled.

Daniels approaches life from another angle. Her artistic role is to put her sex on display. While this can mask deeper issues, I don’t get that’s true for her. The other evening I finally decided to watch some of her videos. They are light-hearted in the genre of what would be called vanilla porn.

In one, she’s a sex robot who transforms into a human. She’s strong enough to defend the household against an intruder, protecting big, strong men. She fixes the washing machine, and then does the laundry, which had been piled up for months while it was broken. She pleasures herself while she’s having sex, and she actually seems to be having fun.

It is difficult to miss the rage, desperation and obsession with authority that Trump exudes. Some have made the case that he is shameless, though you can see the truth in what he projects outward onto women: his disgust, his treatment of them as commodities, and every other form of lack of respect. These things have a source. Photo via CNN.

She gives no indication whatsoever of having body shame, and seems emotionally open. This is the antithesis, and a potential antidote, to Trump’s agonizing projection of his own issues onto women’s bodies.

He spent his entire campaign and most of his career disparaging women, and has made many public comments about how disgusting he thinks they are physically. Daniels is not taking on those projections. They are not sticking to her.

She is in her power, though not in the New Age or life-coaching meaning of that, but in the tantric sense. She is living evidence that the one with the pussy has the power.

In our obsession with sex as sin, and commodifying and denying it, and veiling it, and conflating it with abuse and violence, we forget the simple biology and emotions that are involved. This dance of denial is nearly all rooted in shame, shame that Daniels seems to have no part of, nor investment in.

Stormy is having her heterosexual coming out party on 60 Minutes in a time when sexual tensions have never been more shrill, and when the need to avoid the conversation of sex and pleasure has never seemed so urgent. We live in such uptight times. Most people are so wound up that it seems even the meekest attempt at an honest conversation might pop their spring. That is what Stormy is about to do.

Thanks to an astrologer named Stefanie Iris Weiss, we know her birth time. Stefanie reached out to her via Twitter and Daniels responded with her data. That’s something of a miracle; we have birth times on very few newsmakers these days. Quick overview: she has the Sun and many planets in Pisces; she has the Moon in Scorpio; and she has Sagittarius rising, with the Galactic Core spot on the ascendant, and Neptune in Sagittarius right above the horizon.

Another salient feature is that she has Venus in Aquarius — a kind of avatar position, bestowing both mental and emotional intelligence — conjunct the asteroid Pallas Athene.

Demonstrators gather on the National Mall for the first Women’s March on Washington, on Jan. 21, 2017. According to news reports, organizers of the women’s marches are assisting students to coordinate the March for Our Lives in Washington, DC, this weekend. Photo by Chang W. Lee.

I could write a book about this chart, though let’s stick to three main elements: Venus, Mars, and the slow-moving planet of our day, Eris. As you may know from my previous coverage, we are in the midst of the Uranus-Eris conjunction, a once-in-a-lifetime event that last occurred in the 1920s.

That’s the one where I regularly defer to a media theorist for information — Prof. Eric McLuhan, who explained both Eris and its conjunction to Uranus: “The body is everywhere assaulted by all of our new media, a state which has resulted in deep disorientation of intellect and destabilization of culture throughout the world. In the age of disembodied communication, the meaning and significance and experience of the body is utterly transformed and distorted.”

This conjunction is to our era what Uranus conjunct Pluto was to the 1960s. There was before (1965) and after (1966) and they were distinctly different times. Most of what we think of as the Sixties happened in 1966 and beyond. For us, there is before Uranus-Eris (2016) and after (2017).

We are now seeing some correction of the distortion McLuhan is talking about. Eris, an ultra slow-mover taking 558 years to go around the Sun just once, is all over Stormy Daniels’ personal charts, especially right now. In Daniels’ progressed horoscope (an updated natal chart, not her transits), Mars and Eris are in an exact conjunction — to the degree, right now — something so rare, you might describe it as happening once in six lifetimes.

This is the full embodiment of the sex warrior. What is more interesting is that this conjunction is exactly opposite the most vulnerable spot in Donald Trump’s chart: his Chiron in Libra. Had Trump done more of his spiritual work, his Chiron might represent a source of strength; but that does not seem to be the case.

Second, on Sunday night as 60 Minutes airs, Venus is in an exact conjunction to Eris. This happens once a year, for less than a day; and this year, Sunday is the day. You can think of this as the reconciliation of Eris with her full and overtly sexual female power. This power is about to be turned loose on the nation and its president. It’s not just Trump who is trying to hold 100 pounds of fetid, putrid shame in a 50-pound sack. A lot of people have this issue, mostly to a lesser degree. Stormy Daniels is going to help burst the boil. She will get down to business a lot faster than Robert Mueller, who has to fill in all the government forms correctly.

Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and supporters march in Tallahassee for gun control after 17 were shot and killed at the school Feb. 14. Photo by Alan Alvarez / The Alligator.

My take is that Daniels is a one-woman sexual revolution, which is being aimed at the presidency. If there is any justice, Trump will be undone by a woman.

With the space remaining, let’s consider the kids who are taking America by storm. Note that it’s kids born in 2000 or later who are starting this movement. All of them have in their charts two conjunctions (the most powerful aspect) that were exact that year. While these both occur far more frequently than Uranus conjunct Eris, they still pack some energy.

The first is the actual aspect of the new millennium, Chiron conjunct Pluto in Sagittarius. This was exact Dec. 30, 1999. The conjunction held all year, and every person born in 2000 has it. This is about radical spiritual awakening. Think of the combined healing power of Chiron, the evolutionary power of Pluto and the full-focus intention of Sagittarius, all in one place.

Second, in 2000 Jupiter and Saturn were conjunct in Taurus. This is the full expression of one of the most useful signs of the lot: the one about values, self-respect, and sticking to what you start. For these kids, the two largest planets, together about 2,000 times the size of Earth, are focused in a sign that, once it gets going, has the momentum of a freight train burning through the night.

We adults have the opportunity to put our resources, our wisdom and our full support behind these young people, and I suggest we do it without hesitation. They are, in fact, getting a result even in just six weeks: a discussion, as well as protest movements; and an understanding that to get a result, the political system must be fully engaged.

A woman who fully claims her sexuality, and young people who claim their voice and their right to speak: those are the things that have been missing, among a few others we may yet discover.

With love,

Mercury Retrograde through April 15

NOTE: Amanda Painter has also covered the astrology in her SKY report, a bit lower down in this newsletter.

With the Sun still close to equinox, Mercury stations retrograde in Aries Thursday at 8:19 pm ET, 5:19 pm PT (Friday at 00:19 UTC). The retrograde lasts though April 15. Mercury retrograde occurs for three weeks, three or four times a year. While astrologers emphasize the supposed effect of Mercury retrograde on electronic devices going wonky, the most pronounced effect is on thought, communication and understanding.

Therefore, strive to understand first, and then to be understood. Be clear in your meaning, and ask for clarification when you don’t grasp someone’s meaning or intent. Question your assumptions.

Most of all, be observant of yourself and others, including children and critters. One of the primary effects of Mercury stations, whether retrograde or direct, is that the truth seems to shake out of situations where it was concealed. Therefore, pay attention, and pay attention to matters of confidentiality and security.

At the moment, the Sun is moving into a square with Mars (exact Saturday, the day of the March for our Lives protest). Mars-Sun squares happen just twice a year, and are aspects related to bold decisions, taking action, drive and determination. Because Mars is emphasized, they can also represent desire and conflict.

When we combine these effects with Mercury retrograde conditions (especially Mercury storm conditions, close to the station, which we are now), there’s a need for thoughtfulness, and making some room for error. Be as gentle as you can be in what you say and do. Postpone decisions that you don’t need to make, including major purchases if possible.

Remember that we are still close to the equinox, and both the Sun and Mars are in aspect to the Aries Point. This will have a tendency to magnify the impact of speech, decisions and actions taken, and to mingle personal decisions with collective or public responsibilities.

Fox News contributor quits, slams network as ‘propaganda machine’ for Trump

“Four decades ago, I took an oath as a newly commissioned officer. I swore to ‘support and defend the Constitution,’ and that oath did not expire when I took off my uniform. Today, I feel that Fox News is assaulting our constitutional order and the rule of law, while fostering corrosive and unjustified paranoia among viewers,” he said.
Read more…

Fifteen Years Ago, America Destroyed My Country

In the late 1990s, I wrote my first novel, “I’jaam: An Iraqi Rhapsody,” about daily life under Saddam’s authoritarian regime. Furat, the narrator, was a young college student studying English literature at Baghdad University, as I had. He ends up in prison for cracking a joke about the dictator. Furat hallucinates and imagines Saddam’s fall, just as I often did. I hoped I would witness that moment, whether in Iraq or from afar.
Read more…

Readers Say This Is Our Best Annual Reading Yet

“As always, the reading comes at exactly the right moment. The divine timing serves to remind me of how connected I am: my ‘work’ is a joyous extension of who I am; my deeply held spiritual beliefs are part of my every day life; I am strong and trusted.”

— Jennifer, on the Art of Becoming annual readings

Dear Friend and Reader:

We recently published The Art of Becoming reading for Aquarius. This means that ALL TWELVE Art of Becoming signs are now available for instant access — whether you purchase one or two readings individually, or go all-in and order all 12 signs to share with your household.

“This reading is so amazingly dialed-in that I can’t believe it wasn’t written specifically for me. Thank you, Eric, for tying together many strands of intuition of which I was vaguely aware: now I can begin to own and embody them with confidence.”

— Anthony, on the Art of Becoming reading for Aries

If you have any questions, please email us at cs@planetwaves.net. Or call from within the U.S. at (845) 481-5616, or from outside the U.S. at (206) 567-4455. If you leave voicemail, please be sure to leave your number in the message, and we’ll call you back as soon as we can.

Thank you so much for your patience, and we look forward to hearing your response to these beautiful readings.

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

P.S. Here’s what others are saying about The Art of Becoming:

“Dearest Eric, I just wanted to acknowledge how beautifully insightful your work always is and how moved I was reading your essays. Thank you so much for continuing to be such a guiding light along the way. Much love and appreciation.”

— Maureen, on the Art of Becoming annual readings

“The leadership aspect of what you offered really assists me to understand what my being is up to in the world of work. True, it is rarely discussed in astrology in this way for Cancer. It is not always an easy road, but it is certainly not dull. This year I have shifted direction and am discerning what parts need to come with, and what needs to be left as no longer required. This is across relationships, views, methods and tribes. Your articulated integration of the various dimensions influenced through the realms is a gift and valuable resource in curating the conditions required. Received with gratitude.”

— Rebekah, on the Art of Becoming annual reading for Cancer

“I am deeply appreciative of your integrity and the depth from where your being resides. Many blessings on your path.”

— Desiree, on the Art of Becoming annual readings

“I will put this in a very safe place, and reread it over the coming days, weeks, months. This has been an extremely tough beginning of the year — it seems that I’m no longer being allowed to play out my life without really addressing what/who runs it from the shadows. You write about all this so brilliantly. Thank you for this stunning reading, dear Eric, for your extraordinary insights, wisdom and guidance.”

— Liz, on the Art of Becoming annual readings

“Thank you, Eric, this reading is exquisite in its most absolute form. My sense of where my life is heading is reflected back to me in this annual with such elegant cohesion; your writing simultaneously feels to be a healing balm and a road map to a territory unknown except for the consistency of its beckoning.”

— JeanMarie Murphy, on the Art of Becoming annual reading for Gemini

Looking Inside Aries with Mercury Retrograde

By Amanda Painter

Coming close on the heels of Tuesday’s equinox (the Sun’s entrance into Aries, beginning a new season and astrological year), tonight at 8:19 pm EDT (00:19 UTC Friday) Mercury stations retrograde in Aries. So, despite this being a natural time of year to want to take action in starting new things, you may be experiencing some hitches in executing your plans.

Is this what it looks like inside Aries? Maybe. The more important question is, what does it look like inside you? Photo taken from inside the “Man pavilion” at Burning Man 2012 by Amanda Painter.

If that’s the case, you have some options. Sure, you can insist on plowing ahead, damn the torpedoes. Chances are, however, that’s not going to be the most efficient or smooth approach.

Every Mercury retrograde is an opportunity for review and introspection. With Mercury in Aries, that inner consideration could well have to do with your sense of who you are (your identity), your relationship to what you want (desire), your relationship to anger and how you express it, or your sense of agency in your life (whether you feel like you can make your own choices and actions).

Now, while you could go the full-meditation route, I’m not sure that really meshes well with a Mercury retrograde in Aries, either. Particularly not this one.
I say that because the sky is currently dominated by planets in Aries making square aspects to planets in Capricorn. (I’ll touch on a couple of the specific squares in a moment.) These Aries-to-Capricorn relationships are calling the theme for the Mercury retrograde chart, which you can think of as a question:

Where are initiative and individuality running up against what is codified or institutional?

One illustration might be the March for Our Lives scheduled for March 24 in Washington, DC, with affiliated local events throughout the US. In this we see many individuals taking up a moral imperative to value students’ lives above the entrenched corporate-governmental-military system that has allowed (and encouraged) weapons of mass murder to be normalized and protected.

Read more…

Um, Well, then Who WAS It?

By Amanda Painter

Even if you don’t know who Shaggy is (no, not the Scooby Doo character), there’s a good chance his pop hit “It Wasn’t Me,” from 2000, crossed your path at some point. (Dear lord, has it actually been 18 years?)

In the song, one man asks his friend for advice after his girlfriend catches him having sex with another woman. His friend’s advice: deny everything, despite clear evidence to the contrary, with the phrase “It wasn’t me.”

Last week, with Shaggy’s help, host of the Late Late Show James Corden updated the song’s lyrics in this video, spoofing Trump’s responses to Special Counsel Robert J. Mueller’s ongoing investigation. Even Stormy Daniels makes an appearance (of sorts). You can read the full lyrics and watch the video at that link.

This week on Planet Waves FM
Get Ready for Stormy Daniels

Dear Friend and Listener:

This is going to be an exciting week. Did I say that last week? I must have. But this week will be even more exciting, and I look at the charts on tonight’s episode of Planet Waves FM [play episode here].

We first consider events at the end of Pisces last week, including the Sun-Chiron conjunction. I then discuss the astonishing equinox chart, and Mercury stationing retrograde. We’re about to experience the combined effects of the Sun, Mars, Salacia and the centaur Pholus. This will be a turning point.

I cover last week’s national student walkout, as well as this coming Saturday’s March for Our Lives protest. If you want to help with coverage of that event, please email us as soon as you can. It will help if you have a basic digital recorder — though an iPhone will do.

We remain supported by your contributions. If you’ve come back to Planet Waves FM week after week for years, please consider making a tax-deductible donation. That helps cover the considerable costs associated with doing such a high-quality program.

With love,

Planet Waves Membership: Tend Your Eternal Flame

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.

Four Winds Almanac Now Includes Daily Horoscope

Planet Waves publishes a nifty daily astrology newsletter called the Four Winds Report. Designed as a fast read arriving early in the morning, we’re now trying an experiment — we’re including the daily horoscope for everyone.

Were it not for horoscopes, I wouldn’t be an astrologer. It was the Patric Walker daily that convinced me there was actually something to astrology, and I got my basic education studying his column each day in the New York Post.

I pack a lot of energy into each sign’s 50-word write up. Part of the value of astrology is the timing, and daily allows for precision, as well as chronicling a narrative day by day.

Your almanac also includes information about Mayan astrology (long count and short count dates), several formats of the current date (including Hebrew and Islamic), a daily birthday reading, and special discounts on products and services.

Best of all, we take no outside advertising.

Sign up free here.

Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for March on Thursday, Feb. 22. Your extended monthly horoscopes for February were published on Thursday, Jan. 25. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Thursday after the Sun has entered a new sign; however, we will have your extended April monthly horoscopes for you next week (March 29).

Insights for a Year of Change: Your Aries Birthday Reading

“Many many many thanks for your always wonderful insights!”

— Andrea Argenta

Dear Friend and Reader:

Happy equinox! With all the major sign changes happening, the next year is sure to be memorable for us all. Yet for Aries in particular, the twelve months ahead promise to be truly extraordinary. You’ll therefore want the best possible insights to help guide you through — and Eric’s 2018-19 Aries Birthday Reading will do just that.

One of the biggest changes is Chiron entering Aries on April 17, kicking off a process that’s likely to help you view yourself — and your potential — in an entirely new light.

Yet for Chiron to produce its gifts, you need to bring awareness about where you are. In your birthday reading, Eric will point you in the right direction, in friendly, accessible language that will inspire and empower you.

“I’m blown away by the accuracy in this reading.”

— Susan Campbell

Our customers often tell us that Eric understands the truth of their sign like no other astrologer. Whether you’re Aries Sun, Moon or rising, or you know and love an Aries, the 2018-19 Birthday Reading will be an essential tool for navigating the times ahead.

Pre-order here for the initial price of just $33. If you’re new to Eric’s readings and would like to check his accuracy, you may access last year’s reading here, and the Aries Book of Your Life reading (last year’s annual edition), at no cost.

With best wishes,

Amy Elliott

Aries (March 20-April 19) — Mercury stations retrograde in your sign today, just as a powerful aspect approaches between the Sun and your ruler Mars. This might feel like conflicting messages; though it needn’t if you take the long view, and recognize that the spotlight currently on you is no transitory beam. You are laying the foundation for lasting progress. From that perspective, a few weeks at a relatively slower pace is at worst a minor blip. It can actually be far more advantageous: this retrograde phase appears to represent the wisdom of listening; specifically, how one can gain invaluable information by doing so. Therefore, consider this a research project, and take soundings from as many sources as you can. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) — There’s an emphasis right now on the areas of your life connected with your spirituality and your deeper thoughts, which seem to be undergoing a long process of re-evaluation. You may be starting to feel impatient: surely you can be done with this by now? Aren’t all these complications unnecessary? Yet thinking along these lines would be doing an injustice to the capacity of your mind, which is considerable. You deserve the opportunity and the space to meditate on these matters, and to base your conclusions (at least, those you reach for the present) on what makes sense to you, and takes into account all facets of your knowledge, including your instincts. Honor your abilities, and don’t be satisfied with a half-done job. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) — Mercury, your sign ruler, is stationing retrograde in your house of friendships and the wider community. This is a sphere of life that’s important to you, and now is a good time to evaluate whether you’re getting the most from your social connections. For example, you may need to step away from too much work, and have more fun. You can sometimes get caught up in your own thoughts, and you need enough latitude to unwind fully. Then there’s the larger question of whether you feel sufficiently involved in your community; it’s possible you could do with increasing your civic participation, especially at the municipal level, where an individual voice can arguably make the most difference. Consider using yours. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — This would probably be a good time to review your career trajectory, especially if some elements have not turned out quite as expected. Some previously unknown truths may emerge (or perhaps have already done so), and there’s a clear indication that you might need to re-evaluate a specific belief that you’ve held, as new information comes in. Things could seem a little dreamy or unreal for a while as this shift takes place. One thing you should definitely guard against is a loss of confidence. The chances are you actually have far more potential than you’ve yet imagined, and time will bear this out. Don’t be afraid to talk with someone you can trust; there are plenty of people who have your back. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) — You appear to be bored and somewhat restless, which is apparently causing you to reconsider the direction of your life as a whole, your philosophy and your aspirations. You likely feel this is long overdue, and perhaps it is. That said, be wary of any temptation to a midlife-crisis-style conversion. It’s certainly not impossible that you could find enlightenment through giving away all your possessions and spending the rest of your life living in a cave, or by getting a hot new set of wheels and conquering a narrow mountain road — but let’s face it; the probability isn’t huge. Do yourself justice, and take time to build a philosophy that’s both durable and flexible enough to serve you in the long term. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) — Mercury stationing retrograde suggests you’re in two minds where your abilities are concerned. On the one hand, you seem to possess an abundance of creative ideas, which you’re bursting to put to use. On the other, your confidence might not be in its highest state; this may be preventing you from communicating your thoughts, due to fear of some negative result. If that is in any way true, pluck up the courage to speak anyway. In your community and relationships, your unique voice forms an essential part of a picture that would otherwise be incomplete. Learning to use it more fully will probably require time and self-reflection; that is a testament to the importance of the effort. You won’t regret making it. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) — It’s difficult not to form expectations where other people are concerned, especially those we love. In part this is due to the dominant social tropes regarding monogamy and what’s known as the ‘relationship escalator’, wherein one progresses in an orderly fashion from the first date through to marriage and children. This is, of course, a valid path — as is any other — but if it sounds rather dull, you might be on to something. More importantly, vexations can arise when it turns out our own hopes are different from someone else’s. If this emerges for you, it would be wise not to act impulsively on your immediate feelings. Instead, consider whether you might reach an agreement; and remember that being open helps. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) — Despite Mercury retrograde often having a slowing effect and causing one to re-tread old ground, it can also open new concepts in a way that’s refreshing. These next few weeks may be an opportunity to add a little spice to your daily routines; or at least to pull yourself back from getting stuck in a rut, which it’s all too easy to do. The only thing you might need to be conscious of is ensuring you don’t ignore the wishes and needs of others. You don’t have to bend to any diktat; but no-one is an island, and taking other people’s views into consideration is not only kinder, but usually wiser. You’ll probably hear an idea or two that would otherwise not have occurred to you. Don’t be afraid to open your mind or your ears. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) — Your sign isn’t usually known for getting stuck in habits or rituals that aren’t serving. What can sometimes happen, however, is that an idea runs away with you, to the extent that you may find yourself digging in your heels and wanting to see it through at all costs. This week’s astrology presents a chance to consider walking back some of your decisions — especially in the realm of creative projects — and reviewing how you approach making new ones. Thinking things through at every step can help immensely; as can checking in with other perspectives to ground yourself in what is real, and what isn’t. Eventually you can then proceed, knowing you’re on a path that almost certainly will not give way. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) — This week you have a prime opportunity to review material from the past and, in doing so, bolster your confidence to a degree of security you may not yet have known. You’re already in a position where you can feel validated to an unusual extent, though lately you may have been feeling unsure. It could take a while for your mood to shift, but this is not necessarily a bad thing; it’ll give you time to be thorough, and to build your self-belief on the most solid foundation possible. As part of this exercise, acknowledge and accept the love of your community, in whatever form that exists. Don’t be afraid to ask for help: there is likely no shortage of people willing to provide it. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Mercury is stationing retrograde in your house of communications. Watch how you interact with others over the next few weeks; and, if possible, consider how this has turned out in the past; both when your methods have led to misunderstandings or mistakes, and also what has worked well all round. This is an opportunity to refine your practices, and experiment with new styles of contact that may produce consistently better results for everyone. Note that the ‘for everyone’ part is important. If needs be, ask for feedback on what you can do to make sure those who love you best can get their messages across; this includes compliments, to which you could probably do with listening more closely at times. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) — There’s no-one quite like a Pisces for a generous spirit that affords compassion in abundance to everyone — with one important exception. Can you guess who that might be? I suspect you probably can. If you’ve been particularly hard on yourself lately, you now have the chance to establish a more congenial relationship with who you are. The fact is you care deeply about what you give to the world, and sometimes your desire for perfection can lead to unrealistic expectations of yourself. This Mercury retrograde is offering you a glimpse of how accepting that you’re human, and allowing yourself to be so, can actually enrich the vital work you do. It’s time you receive your own share in the warmth of your love — no exceptions. — by Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.