Planet Waves By Eric Francis
July 2, 1999

Copyright ©1999 by Planet Waves Digital Media, all rights reserved. Photo above courtesy of and copyright by Astronomy Picture of the Day. Planet Waves is published Fridays weekly. For commercial reprint information, use the contact link below. America Online subscribers go to keyword: MYSTIC for the monthly horoscope and article. The July monthly horoscope is now available at www.PlanetWaves.net.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Everything about your solar chart is now blazing with themes of personal independence, a fitting message for the American holiday weekend. Often it seems that standing apart is the only way we can honestly assess the value of someone important in our lives, and from there make a clear decision about whether what happens next is going to be hello or good bye. For now, it's clear that you are really free, which means free to choose, so take your space, take your time, and go through your current set of changes with a passionate heart and a clear mind.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Beware of someone trying to pick a fight with you. It would be really great if you had the nerve to take the initiative and bring up whatever issue you suspect is likely to be lurking, or at least open the floor for discussion and let the air be cleared. Deal with it now, and it could be very easy -- even pleasant. Wait a few days, and the bitterness of resentment may be all you can taste. The most important thing to remember is that you are the one in the stronger position, so use your strength judiciously.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
This is a year of contrasts for you, between light and dark, hot and cool, slow and fast, masculine and feminine. Astrology is, on one level, a study of the interplay between the elements (which here in the Western world we consider to be earth, air, water and fire). Consider this year as a great experiment involving two of these, both of which may be somewhat alien to you: fire and water. Fire is passionate, hot, fast-moving and aggressive. Water is all-encompassing, cool, and usually much slower to change or change levels. Have you noticed yourself in your current fiery streak? Live it fully now; another element will soon be upon you.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)
In the never-ending process of civilizing, that is, of our culture becoming an advanced civilization (we're not there yet), we must face shadows from the past. They can be racism, gender bias, hatred between the rich and the poor, and other old, feudal hatreds. In the process of becoming conscious, individual people, we must face the shadows from our own past and those of the people around us. And in this process, we have many choices for how to react to negativity we encounter. The question you face now and this year involves the philosophy of your healing process. How much power are going to allow fear and negativity to have? How great, really, is the power of love?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
The truth should rightfully come easily to you in these days of blaring mental gibberish jamming all the public broadcast frequencies. If it's not, just listen a little more carefully. The truth is a nice boundary, a trustworthy guard rail; a kind of sum total of reality. There are those who insist that it does not exist, and personally, I don't believe them. But the truth of which I speak is not one which can be explained easily in words or thoughts. This truth manifests as a feeling, and once you recognize it -- if you have not already -- I suggest you'll be swift to act upon it.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
The French prophet Michele de Nostradamus, who lived hundreds of years ago, had some interesting things to say about July and early August 1999. For one thing, he accurately predicted that a war would begin and end prior to that date, and he had some foresight about the Cassini Space Probe, which he described as something scary coming from the sky (an understatement). Cassini arrives August 17 and hopefully keeps going on its merry way to analyze Saturn and its massive moon, Titan. I suspect you have your own theories about what's in store for us this summer, based on an inner sense that you can't quite put your finger on, but are confident is real. Trust your instincts, but don't be surprised if others don't quite get it.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22)
Though you've tried many times to free yourself from a useless set of circumstances, and have thought you've succeeded in the past, there is no question that this time you'll break the hold that has been gripping, even strangling you. Indeed, the real risk is releasing the forces of nature and of karma so powerfully, you have no control over the process. And this is a very important point. In a state of true freedom, what we in fact give up is control, including many aspects of control over ourselves. Perhaps this is why personal liberation is so taboo, for the only real control anyone else can have over us depends heavily on our self-control. As for whoever may think you're under their thumb -- good luck.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Don't push it. Don't push anything or anyone, your luck, especially. Your present investigation needs to go much deeper before you can take action, and this weekend is not the time. Kick back and stay off the telephone. While your position may be weak at the moment, a lot is in motion, and a lot will change in a matter of a few days. Your moment will come, and you'll know when it is -- mainly, because suddenly (if you're looking) the scenery will have changed all around you, and that distinct conquering feeling will be in your heart. Meanwhile, consider all you know in quiet recognition.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21)
If you find yourself growing paranoid about a "hidden enemy," I would (calmly) suggest it's someone who was an open antagonist several weeks ago. And while this person's conduct may be childish or loaded with intense anger or manipulation, it turns out that this intense energetic charge really involves creative frustration and overcooked sadness that you may be mythologizing into something worse. If there was ever a time when the secret enemy could turn out to be a secret admirer, and even a potent creative partner, this would be it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
You may be the weak link in a developing set of circumstances, and by that, I mean the world is changing around you, and there is little you can do about it. Times are changing. You must also change, though in our era of history the notion of "change" has itself been turned into little other than a marketing ploy or a hollow political promise, so it would he a good start to acknowledge that we don't even know what change really is. I would propose the real question is whether you want to take the process passively, or actively. You're coming up on a marvelous opportunity for victimization, or for leadership -- your choice.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 19-Feb. 18)
Emotions are not the easiest dimension for an Aquarian to process. The mind can seem like such an amazing instrument for experiencing reality, whereas the world of deep inner resonance that some call feeling, and others call emoting, is often so irrational or contradictory. But you may now find that this watery world has its own logic, and its own process of change, and its own laws of gravity and movement. One thing you can say for sure is that where emotions are concerned, there is very little you can enforce, and although many people try to compel others to respond a certain way, all we can really do is be.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20)
You may have noticed that you're starting to reach solid ground. Yet this is only a beginning. In fact, this is the first taste of a process or phase that will dominate your life through much of next year, so there is no need to rush, or think that what is happening is only temporary, or to regret any setbacks that may occur. In reality, a great deal is in flux, but certain longer-term directions are quite certain. If you want to use this time wisely, I suggest you make some maps, of people, places and things. Diagram your reality, and let it become a process of engineering your future.

For the Faithful
The astrology of the coming two months is dominated by astrological events called eclipses. They are among the most undeniable, energized, intense and uncontrollable processes of astrology. So, if you notice that you or the people around you are feeling a bit edgy, irritable or perhaps a little more paranoid than usual, consider the possibility that something bigger than you've previously considered is up, both in your private life and the world around you. What's up is a kind of massive rebirthing that will affect many millions of lives in a very profound individual level. One way to view it is as a balancing of the books, or a clearing of the slate, or just a whole bunch of power pushing you to really live your life now like it's something truly special, something you're not ever going to repeat.