What Would Sibly Say?

Dear Friend and Reader:

As Mars stationed retrograde in Aquarius for the first time since 1971, and the Moon reached full phase in Capricorn, it was a banner week in American civic life.

Last week we were confronted with the horror of American immigration officials taking children from their parents -- refugees seeking asylum in the United States -- and putting them in cages. A nationwide outcry has allegedly put a stop to that, though children are still in cages and it's not clear how the kids who were taken will be reunited with their families -- and Trump’s executive order to stop the separations inherently causes other problems. Nobody is sure where they are or how the government is even keeping track of them.

Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was appointed to the Supreme Court by Pres. Reagan in 1988, announced his retirement this week. Supreme Court justices serve for life, or until they step down. CNN photo.

Few people can think of a more horrid trauma than having their child seized; and for a kid, it's beyond the scope of adult emotions to understand the pain, terror and loneliness they must feel.

Then this week, the Supreme Court got into action, upholding the Muslim ban (by a vote of 5 to 4, with Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch as the swing vote), and dealing a blow to labor unions. Then Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, age 81, announced that he would retire at the end of the term, which will give Trump another appointment to the court.

That, however, is unlikely to move before the midterm elections, as Republicans have only a one-vote majority with Sen. John McCain unable to participate due to his illness. Still, Kennedy's retirement comes at a troubling time, when there seems to be so little keeping the country stable.

It's difficult to have a positive view of the future right now; it's difficult not to be seriously afraid of the way the country is headed, unless one is deep in the Trump camp, impervious to chaos (or loves it), or is unaware of the notion of tyranny. I often think of James Madison's comment on the topic: "The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny."

Though things may seem calm most places, the state of the union is shaky. We don't see it in civil unrest as much as we may feel it intuitively and emotionally. There is a grip of fear in the air. Many people are restless or medicated out of it, and there is an unwholesome aggression going around.

The president is still under investigation by federal prosecutors for collusion with a hostile foreign nation, there have been a dozen indictments or guilty pleas in that affair, and his former campaign manager is in federal custody, for alleged witness tampering on his prior indictments. And it just seems like Trump loves to smash things: alliances with our friends, NATO, civic customs, White House protocol, the law, people's feelings -- whatever.

Independence Day: The Sibly Chart

With Independence Day coming up, this is the time of year I usually look into something called the Sibly chart: what data master Lois Rodden called USA 1, the primary chart for our country. The chart data, for 5:10 pm on July 4, 1776, has been passed back and forth across the Atlantic, and then through many hands, and down the generations, by astrologers. Its moment of proof finally came on Sept. 11, 2001, when Saturn and Pluto formed an opposition across the chart's horizon.

USA #1, also called the Sibly Chart, is the most commonly used chart for the United States. You can read the somewhat absurd origins of this chart on its page on Astrodatabank, notes which were entered by Lois Rodden herself. This chart's main feature, besides chaos and aggression in its relationships, is the Sun and a cluster of planets in the sign Cancer on the upper right side. Those are in the 8th house, which is about inheritances -- and also sexuality. I'll cover these topics on Sunday's Planet Waves FM.

The chart has very little to do with an author named Ebenezer Sibly, for whom it is named, and would be an entirely apocryphal document, except for the fact that it works. Different astrologers have different preferences for charts for the birth of the United States; this is one rare instance where I am in the mainstream.

(I have written about another chart called Scorpionic America, which also speaks to me; I'll come back to that right before the midterm elections.)

The Sibly chart says that the United States had a vast fortune coming to it when it was born. Yet I consider the Sibly chart a representation of our "squandered inheritance." We had so much, and for a while we did something with it; but now we seem to do nothing with all the good we are capable of.

You can see the inheritance as the streak of planets in Cancer going across the 8th house, which I consider to be all of the sign Cancer: points present are Venus, Jupiter, the Sun, Mercury, an odd point called the Vertix, and the Part of Fortune (the latter two being conjunct). The 8th, among other things, covers legacies and inheritances.

This grouping in Cancer has taken many transits during the past decade, as Pluto moving through Capricorn has opposed most of it, and Uranus in Aries has squared all of it, dozens of different ways over time. The Uranus-Pluto square of 2011 through 2015 or so (remember that bit of history?) was centered right on the United States Sun. So we have, in a real sense, gone through a revolution. But it's been a reactionary uprising rather than a liberationist one.

United States Pluto Return

What we are experiencing today is the intensification of the Pluto return of the United States. I covered that last in late 2016, and it's time to refocus the subject as the midterm elections (and the exact Pluto return) approach. While the date of the first contact is Feb. 20, 2022 (a very interesting 2/20/2022 for numerology freaks, which comes out as 1), I believe we've been experiencing the effects of the return since Pluto first entered Capricorn in the summer of 2008.

A "return" is when a planet comes back to its position in the natal chart. The United States is about to turn 242, and Pluto's orbit is 250 years. The United States started with Pluto at 27+ degrees of Capricorn, and Pluto is approaching that degree for the first time since the American Revolution.

When a planet has that long of an orbit, it's fair to consider that the return is the entire duration of the planet's transit through the sign involved. The U.S. Pluto return began with the "subprime mortgage crisis" becoming the Great Recession. That came with a restructuring of the financial system, and trillions of dollars changing hands in a very short time.

Since Trump began his campaign, we have seen many strange things happen, all of them related to the collapse of the kind of structures that Capricorn tends to hold up, and which Pluto tends to knock down. It often feels like the rug is about to get ripped from under us.

Yet this may have little to do with the structures of society. Right now the universe as we know it is standing on ground, primarily intellectual, that has been hollowed out by the internet. The ground we stand on, as humans in a society, is not an economy or governmental structure, but some understanding of what is real.

And 20 years of internet, leading to a state of total absorption, have so disoriented people that we are having trouble with concepts such as past, present and future; the notions of documentation and proof; and any concept that there is some shared reality rather than many, many unrelated individual ones.

The problem seems to be an induced dysmorphia of existence, as if everyone is high on acid and nobody can agree which way is up, or that glass is solid and water is liquid. This is how Marshall McLuhan described the impact of computers in his 1968 book War and Peace in the Global Village. If you've ever been in a room full of people on LSD, you could never get them to agree on anything, and they would be easily terrified by things that do not exist. And people on acid have a difficult time telling what is a figment of their own minds from what is tangible and real.

That is approximately where we stand today. What to do about it is another matter, though it would help if we would understand the problem first.

I will have much more to say on Sunday's Planet Waves FM, which will focus on the United States chart.

With love,
Are You Ready for the Sacred Space of Self?

Dear Friend and Reader:

It's not for everyone. It may be for you. Are you ready for a journey into your astrology, and the astrology of our times? Are you ready for a full-spectrum view of Mars retrograde?

This event is in Aquarius, the sign of society and its patterns. I have done something truly shamanic, which is to be transported deep into the shadowy underworld of what is going on, right beneath the level of appearances, and the level of technology. I have witnessed and experienced things I can barely describe.

All that I've learned, I've shared in the Sacred Space of Self. This reading covers Chiron in Aries, Uranus in Taurus, and Mars retrograde in Aquarius -- all of which are directly related events. (Mars is the classical ruler of Aries, where Chiron is, and Uranus, now in Taurus, is the modern planet associated with Aquarius). We are working out an energy pattern.

Eric recording the Taurus Spring Reading video.

Everyone feels the need for change, sometimes to an urgent depth of necessity. These readings (12 of them, plus a supplemental one on Chiron in Aries) are a guide to moving through, working with, and experiencing these energies in a creative way.

I have designed a guide to change, as society changes.

In this letter, we have three offerings for you: for the readings as a stand-alone purchase; the readings combined with a discounted membership; or the readings combined with my written The Art of Becoming reading and a discounted membership. Those are listed below.

We can customize a purchase for you, though that is easier by phone. This will also get you an opportunity to talk with Amy or Ellen, and if I'm in the office, with me.

Here are your options, described a little more elegantly:

Option One -- The Sacred Space of Self video readings, all 12 signs, one purchase per household (i.e., share with your kids); or individual signs. These readings are 40-50 minutes long, applicable to your Sun sign, rising sign, Moon sign and the astrological ideas you have of others. I consider it ethical to 'research' possible viewpoints of others as a means of improving communication.

Option Two -- The Sacred Space of Self plus a year of Core Community membership, whether new, an extension, or upgrade and extend. Core Community gets you all of our publications, website access, and The Oracle divination tool (and intelligent horoscope archive). This includes daily, weekly and monthly horoscopes. Also included is a Planet Waves diary (beautiful new pink ones arrived) or personalized astrology kit.

Option Three -- The Sacred Space of Self, plus Core Community, plus The Art of Becoming Annual Reading. This is if you are super curious, and you want to catch up. The Art of Becoming will always be relevant, though I propose you want the information that it contains right about now, or as close to now as possible.

Remember, if you're confused or want some other options, or need help on the financial end, call us at (845) 481-5616. If you leave a message we will get right back to you.

Thank you for your business, and for trusting me as your astrologer.

With love,
After the Full Moon: Ceres, Mercury, Juno Change Signs

By Amanda Painter

Most likely, by the time you read this, today's Capricorn Full Moon will be separating and its energy easing (it's exact at 12:53 am EDT / 4:52:53 UTC this morning). If any situations came to a head or felt 'stuck' in your life in recent days, notice whether the pressure is starting to dissolve and you can find some resolution as the day progresses.

The waxing Moon viewed earlier this week through a screen window. Photo by Amanda Painter.

At the same time, Mars stationed retrograde in Aquarius only two days ago. We're all still getting acquainted with what that feels like.

If any feelings of frustration or not knowing how to proceed have been lingering for several days, it might point to a longer-term inquiry that's unfolding for you.

I'm also aware that the U.S. news is awash in ongoing conflicts from the world over -- including, domestically, the crisis of children separated from their parents at immigration detention centers, with no clear plan or functional process to reunite them. We've also experienced a week's worth of 5-4 Supreme Court rulings that call the meaning of "constitutional" into question. And the following news broke as I wrote this: Justice Anthony Kennedy, often the SCOTUS swing vote, announced his retirement, thereby opening the door for Trump to appoint a conservative justice.

In other words, there's still a lot to feel edgy and overwhelmed by in this world. Yet in the next few days, we'll also get some shifts in tone, at least astrologically speaking. These events might even enable you to tap into a sense of what you can do to help.

First up is the dwarf planet Ceres leaving Leo and entering Virgo today at 5:01 am EDT (9:01 UTC). If you've been using this phase of Ceres in Leo to feed your heart and nourish your 'children' (whether literal, creative, inner or global), perhaps you'll find that Ceres in Virgo enhances your willingness to put that full heart to work in helping others.

Read more...
Women of the Water
By Amanda Painter

We've just come through the Capricorn Full Moon: the Moon in its opposite sign of earthy structure, reflecting the light of the Sun in the feminine water sign that the Moon rules (Cancer). Hawaiian-born artist Sean Yoro's work embodies these elemental relationships beautifully.

Yoro, who goes by the moniker Hula, blends his artistic skill and comfort on a paddleboard to paint larger-than-life murals of women on surfaces at the water's edge -- while floating on the water (you can watch a short video of his work here). He's painted on the concrete walls of what appear to be reservoirs, canals and dams, the side of a wrecked ship, on a small iceberg, and in the Bay of Fundy -- home of the world's largest tides, which reveal the mural there twice per day.

He uses non-toxic paints, which means the murals have an expiration date that will be determined by nature; and he prefers to paint in remote, undisclosed locations. For his iceberg mural, called "A'o 'Ana," Yoro's vision extended beyond aesthetic appeal: "The portrait represents the millions of people in need of our help who are already being affected from the rising sea levels of climate change."

Perhaps like the water reflecting these female forms and the Moon reflecting the Sun's light, more people need to reflect on that issue. Although, really, what we need is more people acting on what's being seen. This Week on Planet Waves FM Replay: Interviews with Astrology Greats

Since Eric took this week off from recording a new Planet Waves FM episode, we thought we'd take the opportunity to remind you of two of his most exciting interviews. These are the most relaxed, extensive and informative conversations available -- Eric in his role as astrologically informed journalist, interviewing two of the great minds in modern astrology.

The first is with Rob Hand in 2015 [play program here]; a broad and enlightening conversation on the history of astrology, the minor planets, and more.

We also have for you Eric's 2016 interview with Robert Schmidt of Project Hindsight [play program here], following Schmidt's discovery of the inventor of Greek astrology, Eudoxus of Cnidus.

These interviews are well worth revisiting several times. We hope you enjoy them; Eric will return on Sunday with a new episode. Remember, we're able to keep the lights on thanks to your generous contributions, as our sole sponsor -- so please continue to donate at this link.

With best wishes,

Amy Elliott Planet Waves Membership: An Investment in Your Future


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 July on Thursday, June 21. Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published Thursday, May 24. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Thursday after the Sun has entered a new sign. Hello! We have tomorrow's daily horoscope here for you in this issue. Amy will be back with a fresh weekly horoscope in next Thursday’s issue, and we’ll also be mailing your Monday Morning horoscope out this Sunday night, as usual.  Aries (March 20-April 19) -- Don't aspire to be the flavor of the month, or the next great thing. Rather, aspire to be yourself, no matter what others may say, or what judgment you may fear. This will take courage and persistence, and you'll need to let certain things roll off your back. But it will be worth it. Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- Hopes and fears amount to the same thing, and one cannot compensate for the other. In the end, you must have faith in yourself, and that faith must be based on something more than idle whim. Stay in contact with your soul. You might say that's the only purpose you have. Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- The whole problem with belief is that it might not be true. To believe something, in a sense, is to dispense with the matter of establishing the truth. Right now the main message of your chart is to seek and find a deep level of understanding, which will take time. Cancer Birthdays 2018:
Embarking on Your Actual Path of Discovery

"One property of your sign is that it makes you a pioneer and a leader, at least potentially, when you do the work that you take the most seriously, or that's the nearest to your heart. It also turns out that your work is where you can do your most effective self-exploration. It's an actual path of discovery."

-- Eric Francis in The Art of Becoming, your 2018 annual reading

Dear Friend and Reader:

If you have a Cancer Sun, Cancer rising or a Cancer Moon, you've likely figured out one essential truth about yourself, alluded to by the quote above: you have what it takes to be a leader in the things that matter most to you. This doesn't mean you need to be 'the boss'; but it does mean that you're an ideal candidate to do something meaningful -- for yourself, for those you care about most, and for your wider world.

If you're not entirely sure what your next steps need to be along that path, you can count on your upcoming 2018 Cancer Birthday Reading to contain some excellent ideas.

Saturn, Uranus and Chiron are all in signs with direct and special relationships with your own. Life is on the move. And 2018 is looking like your time to shine: Saturn, Uranus and Chiron are occupying some of the more public and relational zones of your chart.

Eric will be covering what this year's big planetary moves mean for your relationships, work life, impact on your wider community, deepest calling, family and ancestral patterns, and more. Not only that, but eclipses are on the way: primarily along the axis that describes what you value and your self-esteem (Leo) and your relationship to money and sexuality (Aquarius).

"Ah Eric -- just listened to your reading. I was moved to tears by your closing words. Your passion, deep care and love always shine through; and you have the gift of all great teachers, of making one feel that one is being personally addressed, respected and taken care of."

-- Liz Glanville

Your two segments of astrology (at least 30 minutes each) come with an extended description of your sign and access to last year's reading. When you pre-order your full Cancer Birthday Reading early, you'll lock in the discounted price of $33. The price increases when the reading publishes.

If you could use a friendly, calm, motivating voice this year, you'll find it in this reading. Eric does his best to use plain language, and always brings the best of his decades of astrological, therapeutic and spiritual training to these readings.

Wishing you a beautiful start to your birthday season,

Amanda Painter

P.S. This reading will make a thoughtful gift for any of your Cancer loved ones.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- There comes a time when you discover what you don't want, which opens the way for what you want the most. The way you know that time has arrived is that the decision is easy to make. For the moment, focus on establishing basic emotional boundaries. Be your own container. Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Mercury has arrived in your sign, which will help you catch up to all the changes that have been going on around you lately. Keep alert to new information and shifts in your environment. Make sure you put valid data to use as soon as you find out about it. Use what you know. Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Your life is one seamless, integrated whole. You are not different people, for example, when you are at work and when you are at home. Likewise, whatever you do for yourself, or to yourself, influences each and every other facet of your life. This formula will help you take care of yourself. Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Mercury has entered the social angle of your chart, which (covered by Leo) is pretty cheerful as it is. Make sure you take advantage of this, and get out and meet new people. Visit new places, and skip your old haunts for a few weeks. If you are a creature of habit, create some new ones. Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- You may ask why you have a tendency to feel lonely. It may be that you're seeking approval that you cannot find outside of yourself. Turn your attention to supporting your own efforts, and rallying for your own cause -- having nothing at all to do with anyone else. Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- It's not easy to think new thoughts. Most people really struggle with a certain kind of originality: the notion that today is a new day, where new ideas and experiences are possible. Guide yourself to take a fresh approach to everything you do, even the most ordinary conversations. Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Your finances are now under sharp focus, as Mars is moving retrograde in that particular angle of your chart. You are trying with all your might to break certain habits. It would be easier to establish new ones and let the old ones dissolve into the past, rather than to force things. Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- One of the key messages of Mars retrograde in your sign is to be the person you are today, rather than trying to be the one you were yesterday. However, this is somewhat inconvenient, in that you'll need to pay close attention to yourself and your environment at all times, and adjust constantly. Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You're being guided on a kind of inner trip. As part of this, I suggest you be especially conscious of your relationship to technology. It shapes you more than you think. You might try an experiment where you invest yourself in social media as little as possible, or not at all -- for a while.