Weekly Horoscope for Friday, August 13, 2010, #827 - BY ERIC FRANCIS

In case you've missed it, Planet Waves offers free weekly astrology audio, which is updated every Wednesday by Eric. It's part of the Daily Astrology & Adventure blog written by Eric and the Planet Waves writing team. The weekly audio covers the astrology that's affecting you right now, with thoughtful guidance in a warm and personal format. One listener recently wrote, "This is such a RICH audio...very rich in conveying the cyclical time patterns of astrology as they correlate to historical events...supplies us students with a load of cosmic discoveries, brilliant insights and as always, much brotherly love and inspiration." You may access this week's audio at this link. Be sure to come back each Wednesday for the latest offering.

Aries Confidential	If you're expecting someone to 'catch you' you may be waiting a long time, or they may not bother. By that I mean that playing hard to get is likely to make you impossible to get, and if you're seeking the companionship of a particular person, I suggest you reach out to them honestly. You may feel as though you haven't wrapped up the old story of your relationships and therefore it's not time to start a new story. But part of the old story involved being impetuous and having that not work so well for you; the new territory (if the word 'new' means anything) is cooler, more thoughtful and made of more direct transactions. Your reaching out to someone is not the surrender of your independence, but rather the initiation of a process that could take a few seasons and which, in the end, will have a solid result.
Aries Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Taurus Confidential	Have you ever asked yourself why you spend so much time waiting? The answer may be some form of being afraid to take chances, which is another way of saying insecure. The part of your mind that is afraid to make decisions is under some scrutiny now, which you may be feeling as pressure. In actual fact, the power of decision is the one freedom we actually have in this world. It is quite a dependable power, true, but I'm saying it's really the only power. Consider the ramifications of not making decisions, or if you consider the times when making a simple choice helped improve your life even after a long delay. We all know you don't like being backed into a corner, but then, that does seem to be the one time you can dependably choose from among your options. I suggest, to avoid this feeling, you give yourself a timeframe within which to make any decision that you know you face. But I think you'll catch on soon -- that simple recognition is 80% of the issue: recognizing that you need to decide is the first authentic step in the decision.
Taurus Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Gemini Confidential	What point is there in knowing history? Well, you don't know until you find out. The deeper question is, "Does what we know actually make a difference?" That depends on who you're asking. If you ask me, it makes all the difference, especially if we want a future different than the past. For now you may feel bogged in a past entanglement, emotional state or family situation. This, in turn, seems to relate to your health or your mental health. It's like you just walked into your long-gone great grandfather's basement, stuffed with boxes, and you have to find the one fact that matters and you're wondering why. Your impulse for going down there will show its value in the end, but you're going to discover a lot in the process. The thing to remember is that this isn't about your great-grandpa or the artifacts of Cleopatra. You're on a quest to discover something about yourself that speaks directly to a current situation.
Gemini Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Cancer Confidential	How you handle a financial situation involves how you use the resources you have, rather than focusing on what you don't have. And you have plenty, despite a recent scare or sense of lack. Remember that your most precious resources are, in order, your health, your energy, your creativity and your reputation. All of these have come under some stress the past week or two, but you are bigger than the situations in your life. The opinions of others are like barking and yelping as compared to your actual reputation, and I suggest you remember this. Your value is not in question, unless you do the questioning, and you seem to be doing plenty of that. I suggest you get off that ride and practice having confidence in yourself. I know it often seems like some magical gift that people have, but it's more like learning how to rollerskate. Theory only goes so far.
The Cancer Audio Birthday Report is now ready. This is more than an hour of astrology for Cancer and Cancer rising, covering the cardinal T-square from a personal perspective. I’ve also included a 20-minute tarot reading using the Voyager Deck. For instant access, order here for Cancer and Cancer Rising. Only $14.95, this also makes a meaningful and economical birthday gift.
Leo Confidential	The way the planets are aligned, you may wake up to the reality of a situation the moment before it's too late; that is, just in the nick of time. This is an old story -- something similar may have happened at this time last year, and you thought you got the message and moved on. I suggest that, without going paranoid, you scan through the various situations in your life, and look over your desk and your appointment calendar and your bank statements, and make sure everything is in order. Listen to what people say to you and discern whether they're telling the truth. Be methodical. Start with the obvious and then, as you gather information, allow the process to continue for the next month or so. What you discover will make a difference, and may not only save you considerable trouble in the future -- it could be a source of significant profit. But initially, it's going to look like a problem, to which you will come up with the solution; and that turns out to be an invention.
Leos -- please watch your email later today with an announcement of the Leo birthday audio.
Virgo Confidential	You have a rare, as in truly unusual spell of Mercury in your sign for more than two months, which started July 27 and ends Oct. 3. This transit seems determined to teach you how many layers and facets of yourself you're working with, and working through. I trust that you'll discover the extent to which you intellectualize your existence -- that is, use concepts to define who you are, rather than exist and allow useful information and ideas to emerge in the process. Then there is the question of the past and how it weighs on you. There are two turning points coming up over the next few weeks wherein you may make discoveries that key you into how this works and give you an easy way to release yourself from something you didn't even know is holding you back.
Libra Confidential	You've been in some strange territory the past week or so, and more than a fleeting experience, it works out to be a turning point. Consider what you went through, and what you learned, and now consider what this says about your relationships. How do you define yourself based on how others treat you, and how they treated you in the past? On one level, the current phase of your growth involves identifying family patterns and cutting yourself free from them. There is a conscious level and an unconscious level. That's the most challenging one, because it's so challenging to bring our awareness to this issue. Here is where astrology meets biography. What's happened to you in the past week reveals some of what you're trying to address on the unconscious level. It rose to the surface in that particular drama. And now you know what it is, if you interpret a bit.
Scorpio Confidential	You seem to be at a loss to explain a sense of deep inner disconnect. It's as if you can't get both poles of the battery to touch the contacts at the same time. In gender terms, your inner male and inner female are in a standoff, though you might feel it as hot pursuit. Yet can you really pursue yourself? The inner dynamics of this setup are complicated. There is a long history to the situation, and it spans both time and geography. But ultimately, you contain the whole story. That story may come down to: are you trying to get your father's attention? It may not literally be in the form of your physical father, but rather someone who acts like him, who stands in allegiance to people who are toxic to you, and who doesn't ever quite give you what you want. I wonder how you would analyze the situation, in that case.
Sagittarius Confidential	Are you torn between two concepts of who you are? Does it feel like you live in parallel worlds? It just might. And there is a catch, which is the sense that if you make a decision of any kind about which you prefer, you will eliminate the other possibilities. Here is a visual that may help you make sense of the situation. Imagine you're standing in front of a screen, about four meters back. There is a light source behind you, casting opposing shadows on the screen -- one to the left and one to the right. Those are the two seemingly different concepts of your life that you're struggling to get into alignment. If you turn around and face the light, you will be surprised to see that both shadows are from one source, not two. That is what is important to you. By important, I mean the most meaningful. It will have different expressions at different times, but those expressions are rooted in the core idea of your deepest values and desires. Look into the light, not the shadow.
Capricorn Confidential	If you're dealing with the government, a large company or with anyone in a position of authority, remember that you hold most of the cards; you have the influence. Therefore, allow the other person or entity to make the moves, then you respond. The situation is going to come into focus over the next week and a half, and how much power you have will be abundantly clear. The key is to not fight yourself, and not give in to your fears or your insecurities. This is the true test of leadership, and the basis of the kind of psychological autonomy that is rarely spoken of in our current era of consensual slavery. The way the planets line up, it seems like you're going to discover how unfree you feel before you make a series of moves calculated to take advantage of the actual prerogatives you have, and that you created.
Aquarius Confidential	The current issue is a matter of faith. You may see it as a test of faith in a relationship, but the only person you can be true to is yourself. Therefore I suggest you not be swayed by the apparent outer nature of the situation, or by who else is involved, and treat the developments you're experiencing, or expecting, solely as a matter of your inner growth. That growth may feel enforced or compelled as the next week or so develops, and if you have the sense that this is your last chance to make a difficult decision, consider that may well be true. And then? Well, the simplest way to say this is that you're responsible for what you currently know. That responsibility would come in the form of acting on what you know. You've had a lot of time to go over this, and it looks like you've considered the various implications of your situation, and your options, on approximately seven prior occasions (enough to lose count) going back about two years. This time around, something is different.
Aquarius Birthday Audio by Eric Francis is available. Check this link for more information.
Pisces Confidential	Focus your energy on what is happening behind the scenes. Peel back the layers, ask questions, and recognize that there is plenty you don't know that you will benefit from knowing. Currently it matters less than normal what's happening on the main stage. The real show has yet to begin. Now is a time of preparation, of reflection, of review, and of making your arrangements for the next stage of your life. When does this begin? Well, it begins some time after you agree to commence the review phase. Meanwhile, your existence will be no less interesting or meaningful for having less in the way of outer results; the fact of your being more inwardly focused is going to offer helpful opportunities to make long-awaited adjustments and repairs, as well as the space to refine your vision of what you want. If you focus on these things, they will get results -- the best kind, which is the ones that come from the inside-out.