Revolution in the Aries (or is it Pisces)

Dear Friend and Reader:

Revolution is seething in one of the unlikeliest regions of the world: not merely North Africa and the Middle East, but the United States. We might have asked when the people ruled by imams, mullahs, sultans, princes, kings, ayatollahs and ordinary leech despots were going to get restless. We might have guessed it would happen right around when Uranus and Pluto lined up in their current square aspect. And it looks like some of the same leadership styles are stirring up revolt to the United States as well. I'll come back to that in a moment. Let's start far from home and work our way back.

Thousands of teachers, state workers and students filled the gallery under the capitol rotunda, chanting “kill the bill” and waving signs (some likening Gov. Walker to a dictator and demanding his recall). Wisconsin had a budget surplus until Gov. Walker started issuing tax credits to corporations. Based on this he proposed taking away pensions and banning collective bargaining rights -- which would end unions and take away a Democratic stronghold in elections. Credit: Narayan Mahon for The New York Times.

This combination of planets is the very signature of revolutionary eras. We are in one now -- and it hasn't reached its peak. We've just seen dictators tumble in Tunisia and Egypt, with uprisings currently underway in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Morocco and Yemen -- so far. Many have turned bloody in recent days.

The overthrow of the Mubarak dictatorship last month in Egypt was nothing short of astonishing, at least as it was happening. For 30 years, Mubarak ran the country brutally, with his secret police force 'disappearing' citizens into the Ministry of the Interior if they got out of line. He was turned into a fugitive in just 18 days. His spy chief, who had been Dick Cheney's go-to guy on 'extraordinary rendition' (the U.S. offshore torture program), got to be vice president for two weeks, before he, too, was reduced to a political mummy.

And, though the news out of Egypt has turned dark with the sexual assault of CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan, the revolution there has continued to spread across the region, and in at least two countries this week there has been violent government pushback.

Focus on Libya and Bahrain

Libya is an Arabic country situated between Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia in Northern Africa. Libya's autocratic ruler for the past four decades, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, responded in January to the unrest in Tunisia by reassuring the Libyan people that such protests were not necessary in their country. Apparently the people there decided otherwise. What keeps happening is some dictator tells the protestors to go home and they just get more worked up. Go figure.

Chart for Bahrain's supposed independence. This is the chart for when it was announced on BBC radio in a neighboring country -- the best that world horoscope datameister Nick Campion could do.

Citing a Libyan newspaper, Quryna, Reuters reported that protesters, angered by the arrest of a human rights activist, rallied in Libya's second largest city, Benghazi, on Tuesday night. Protests have continued in several Libyan cities, and on Thursday activists declared a 'Day of Rage' to oppose Qaddafi. Clashes with pro-Qaddafi supporters and snipers with the Internal Security Forces left several dead and many wounded in the eastern city of Beyida. There were simultaneous protests in at least five other Libyan cities.

Let's consider Bahrain more closely. This is a little island nation in the Persian Gulf. It's a U.S. client state, the docking port of our navy's Fifth Fleet. It's also a playground of the Bush family. I recall half the island being leased to a relative of the Bush family during Bush War I as an R & R depot for the coalition military. What is more interesting is that in 1990, months before the Gulf War started, Harken Energy, George W. Bush's beleaguered company, was given drilling rights in and around Bahrain. Remember that this is the story of the Middle East -- the lines on the map move from side to side; countries are treated like companies; leaders are installed, kingdoms made and unmade. I guess we could ask an Atlantean philosopher or historian why this is, but for now, we can just read about Churchill, who did a lot of this after World War II.

This week the people of that little country started protesting, and overnight Wednesday to Thursday were ambushed by the military. At least four people were killed and hundreds of others injured from buckshot, concussion grenades and rubber bullets. Bahrainians have experienced some of the most violent pushback from their government in the whole region. Let's take a look at the national chart (posted above) and see what's going on.

Unlike many other charts, distinctly influenced by Uranus and Pluto, to me it looks like Chiron is the star in Bahrain. This is the planet associated with transition, awareness and healing that was discovered in 1977 (Chiron is the first centaur, a type of minor planet). The only thing solid about Bahrain is how oppressive its government is. It's a real stretch to call it a nation. The chart I'm using is for its 'independence', but to me that just says 'availability to other interests', all of whom are offshore.

We see the oppressive government show up as Saturn in the 7th house, sitting on the Moon like a hen sits on an egg. Those are on the right side of the chart. Saturn (the government) is yellow and the Moon (the people) is the grey crescent.

The egg seems like it's hatching. Saturn and the Moon are in Gemini. Chiron has recently begun its trek across Pisces. It's making an explosive square aspect to the Moon; eventually it will square Saturn too. This is going to go on for a few years, in waves. But the big push is now, because Chiron is conjunct centaur planet Pholus, which releases a lot of pent-up pressure. There is something here about getting sick of being lied to: Chiron square Neptune in Sagittarius.

Tremors in Madison and Puerto Rico

Revolution is quietly brewing in the hearts of Americans, though until recently it's been introduced as a brand without a product. Americans have consented to wars, the looting of the treasury, billions in tax dollars being donated to massively wealthy stock traders, and the loss of civil liberties. Now that the government wants to take back union rights and pensions, people are getting angry -- and it's starting off somewhere excellent, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Students at the University of Puerto Rico protested police occupation of the campus for two months -- and the police were withdrawn this week. Photo: UCDavis Bicycle Barricade.

Madison is one of the last holdouts of the true American left, but its new Republican governor, product of the Tea Party movement, is now doing the bidding of corporate interests. In response to the Republican-backed plan to strip collective bargaining rights and pensions, there have been protests there day after day. On Thursday night, 30,000 people had shut down the city center. Rachel Maddow reported last night that Wisconsin actually had a budget surplus until Gov. Scott Walker started giving away tax credits to corporations, creating an artificial shortfall and using this as an excuse to take away pensions.

His minions proposed legislation to strip collective bargaining rights covers most public employee unions -- but not all of them (police and firefighter unions were not included in the bill). Maddow's analysis is that this measure, which saves the state no money, was designed to eliminate the only organized Democratic voter base in the state, the unions. (Watch her analysis here.) A number of Democratic state senators left the state to break the senate's quorum and prevent it from adopting the law.

Many other locales that actually are facing a budget shortfall are proposing the same kinds of measures, however, and attempts at stripping benefits, eliminating pensions and busting unions are likely to be big news as public debt mounts (and bankers are given ever-larger bonuses). The thing about Uranus-Pluto is not just that people get rebellious -- there's usually something meaningful to rebel against.

What we have here, by the way, is Enron on a massive scale. Anyone remember Enron, the company that took over California's electrical grid, stole the pensions of thousands of PE & G employees (and its own employees), ripped off the California ratepayers (of "f*ck Aunt Millie" fame) and then went bankrupt?

That whole mess came to the surface in late 2001, when Chiron entered Capricorn. I proposed at the time that Chiron was running vanguard for Pluto in Capricorn, and that if we didn't clean up what came to light then, it would repeat with Pluto in Capricorn. So what we're seeing is a national movement by government to bust unions and take back pensions. Maybe we think unions are quaint things like old Beatles albums, but pensions are the only real savings many people have.

Meanwhile in Puerto Rico, students this week got control of their campus after a violent police occupation that lasted two months. Given that Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States, or an occupied territory, I am very happy to see a revolt happening there. Puerto Rico is a place dear to my heart and is well worth a full edition. Let's see if we have an occasion to do that.

Uranus Square Pluto and an Age of Awakening

Remember that in the background of all of this passion and protest is Uranus square Pluto. We have met this aspect before. Technically, Uranus square Pluto holds its exact geometry for just three years (this one goes from 2012 to 2015). Yet astro-historian Richard Tarnas, author of the acclaimed Cosmos and Psyche, notes that this aspect and those in its group (the conjunction and opposition) can have an orb of influence extending for more than a decade.

We see this in the cycles of history. The most recent major alignment of Uranus and Pluto happened in 1965-1966, fueling what we think of as the Sixties. Yet we can see early rumblings of what we think of as 1960s-styled social progress going back to the mid-1950s, when the Supreme Court ordered integration of public schools in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

In that same era, the Beat Generation of writers, known for its liberationist philosophy, drugs, rambling adventures, alternative forms of sexuality, freedom of expression and anti-materialism -- all characteristic of Uranus-Pluto -- came to prominence a full decade before the conjunction, breaking open barriers that millions of people would cross in the following years. Bob Dylan said he never would have become who he was if he hadn't read On the Road by Jack Kerouac.

There is often a slow warm-up of Uranus-Pluto aspects, as events scattered across time and geography coalesce into what seems like one vast movement. One thing leads to another. Social change, pointed toward the future, gathers momentum and then feels inevitable.

It's often in hindsight that we put together the effects of this type of astrology, though at the moment all we need to do is look at the front page of any newspaper or news website -- and feel the vibes pulsing through the planet waves. This thing we keep describing as 2012 has as its epicenter the Uranus-Pluto square.

A protester holds a sign equating Gov. Scott Walker to Hosni Mubarak at a the protest outside the Capitol. “Obviously there is a lot of protest out there, but in the end, it's the right thing to do,” Mr. Walker said. Photo: Narayan Mahon for The New York Times.

Pluto has been stirring the pot of Capricorn for two years now, and Uranus is about to make its ingress into Aries, where it will be the next seven years. You can think of Pluto as having softened up previously hard and fast institutions: banks and national economies have collapsed, dictators have fallen by the wayside. Moreover, ideas about power are changing. At the same time, it looks like the rich are getting ever richer and taking more and more from people. We don't know how this is going to play out, but we can look at some astrological pictures of the future and see what they tell us. And what they suggest is that there is an awakening happening.

Around the corner from Capricorn is Aries, and Jupiter has recently arrived there. It's currently square Pluto. Jupiter square Pluto is a passionate aspect, with the feeling of religious zeal and an all-or-nothing approach to existence. The elemental force of Pluto focuses the idealism of Jupiter into clarity and action, giving drive and substance to what were previously just interesting ideas. In early March, just before the equinox, Uranus arrives in Aries to stay for the next seven years. The ingress of this inventive, revolutionary energy into Aries feels like an extended springtime of the soul. It looks like the ultimate astrology of a global awakening, based on millions of individual awakenings.

There is the recognition that 'the world is changing and so am I'. We get an invitation to expand our ideas about existence, and live closer to the edge with more vitality and explore life with an experimental spirit. Let's face it. The smug piety that has permeated society during the past few decades could use a few friendly cosmic jolts of orgasm. Our ideas about relationships have grown so moldy and brittle the best thing we can do with them is chop them up and make a huge bonfire on the spring equinox.

The Charts of the United States and Iran

Astrological events that affect countries also affect people. We all live on the same planet. Let's consider how that bonfire might look in two national horoscopes.

The chart of the Iranian revolution of 1979 is due for a revolution of its own. Take a look at the left side of the chart -- Aries rising, Aries Moon and Eris in Aries. Uranus is coming through, and it's going to shake up the youth, the population at large and the national identity.

Let's consider Iran, which seems to be the epicenter of the Western world's worst imaginary fears. The chart I prefer for Iran is the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini to his country in February 1979 -- which was the start of the revolution that year. The chart has early Aries rising and an Aries Moon. This is a spritely, adventurous chart on the outside, driven by emotion and a bit of chaos. It's definitely the chart of a volatile revolution. Whatever you may think of the famous Ayatollah, the ousting of the U.S.-backed shah and Khomeini's arrival was an exciting moment in world history.

Behind the revolutionary glee, masked by a kind of militant populism, is a conservative and authoritarian core. That is characterized in the chart by the government angle poking up into Capricorn. And behind that is all the religiosity we know is one of Iran's most famous exports -- Venus and Neptune are in Sagittarius in no less than the 9th house. This verges on comical. These people in charge don't take religion seriously. To them it is what a beautiful woman was to Ernest Hemingway. Religion is sex, and their minds are on fire with the stuff in a way that we just do not understand here except maybe in the most electrified Baptist church. The thing is that all that lust is under the chilling effect of Saturn in Virgo. That's like making love with the sex manual out. However, the new generation is simply not interested. In the sex manual that is. In other ways they seem like they're on fire.

Now that Uranus is moving up on that Aries ascendant, a hidden factor is coming to light: the youth of the nation are rising up. There is a new generation that has no desire to be told what to believe, threatened with execution and told they're bad people.

Pluto going through the government angle of the revolution is making the national leaders feel like they're concentrating their power, but what they are really doing is collapsing their own structure. They seem like they're on top of things, but they're about to be met by a revolutionary force unlike anything they've ever encountered. Remember that Iran is a country prone to revolutions, and it has a long history. The mullahs are relative newcomers. The Persian people have been there a lot longer.

Revolt Against Commodification

As for revolution in the United States: it doesn't look like a political event -- it looks like a personal and economic one. I wish I could explain the horoscope of the United States to Karl Marx. I'm not sure if he would accept the premise of astrology, but he would recognize his idea that the primary U.S. chart paints the picture of a commodified nation. Everything becomes a commodity; if you get paid for something, you get respect. It allegedly matters less if you have talent -- and most people seem to like it that way. [I covered this in Wednesday's weekly audio.]

This is the most widely used chart of the United States, called the Sibly Chart (named after the astrologer who provided the data). There are other charts, including an earlier chart with the Sun in Scorpio, as well as a Virgo rising chart. The story of how this chart came into being is a complex, interesting story stuffed with Masonic connections and Medieval techniques, which I'll get to around July 4. The chart is the symbolic representation of the independence of the 13 new states.

Here's how it looks in the chart: Sagittarius rising puts Cancer in an area of the chart called the 8th house. That's the house of 'other people's resources', a complex area which includes sex, banking, stock trading, inheritances, dowries and marriage contracts. That sounds like a weird mix, but they all have one thing in common, which is resources changing from one party to the other, or resources being traded. It's a house where you can gain a lot, experience deep pleasure and, notably, sell out very easily.

You can also invest there and lose all your money. The 8th is the house of 'sign your life away': the house of commodification. Obviously people experience this in other countries, but there are few places on Earth that have turned everyone and everything into a commodity, where if you take care of people you can be accused of being a traitor. Our characteristically American expressions include, 'You have to sell yourself all the time' and 'You have to give him credit, he's making a lot of money'. I would contend that to the extent that these have been global values, they are American exports.

Our great nation has many planets in this house -- Sun plus Venus, Jupiter and a few others. This alignment indicates how much wealth we actually have, but also the extent to which it's been squandered in 'investment' institutions. The concentration is early in the sign, which in part explains what's been happening to our banking system. Pluto in Capricorn has been coming at those Cancer planets like an evolutionary battering ram. The cardinal cross I've been writing about for a year is directly influencing this cluster, and this idea of everything is a commodity. Of course the plutocrats know how to make the most of this. They have concentrated a lot of wealth. The price we might have to pay for those bank executives losing all their money is the whole system coming down. Their message seems to be, you can have the crumbs if we get the meal. Then we all get to eat.

In Madison, WI, rank and file members of C. Livia Local 2000, AFL-CIO, gathered in force at the capitol Thursday afternoon.

However, in the next act, Uranus, the planet of revolution, is going to make a series of square (90-degree) aspects to those planets. That is action. It tells me that we are starting to figure out how sold-out we are, how ripped off we've been, and in the same gesture, follow the impulse to do something about it. This is a rebellious impulse but it's also self-creative, and in fact the self-creative seems to burst out first. I would propose that from a growth standpoint that's a healthy thing. Rebelling for its own sake only goes so far, but following a creative impulse that moves blockages and stuck energy out of the way is another thing altogether.

For the United States, Aries occupies one of the most creative (and also sexual) angles of the chart, and Uranus in Aries is about self-actualization. Taken in the most positive light, I see this transit firing up the courage and thirst for freedom that many people need in order to be themselves. Authenticity is a concept we could use more of. I see a lot of energy being released for the American people by Uranus in Aries, and a widespread movement to claim ourselves back.

Of course, this process will threaten those who are attached to the past. And it will be risky for everyone. Along the way to getting free, we must encounter our own attachments, our own fear and guilt. But these tend to yield to creative impulses. And while humanity may seem like it's in one of its most backwards moments ever, creativity, self-actualization and the drive for liberation are time-honored human traditions as old as the Great Sphinx -- and equally mysterious.

Yours & truly,



Two Hot Charts, Happening Right Now

Jupiter is at the very top left. Pluto is the red golf tee on the lower right. Notice that they have the exact same numbers after them, in cardinal signs -- that is the square aspect.

Two astonishing aspects are developing right now, both taking place the last week of February. I'm going to take them in reverse order. First, a reminder that the Sun ingresses Pisces today. Both of these charts involve Pisces planets, with the Sun in Pisces. That provides a lot of resonance for these events.

We're currently in the run-up to an aspect called Jupiter square Pluto. This is an impassioned aspect that happens about every six years, so it's not your everyday astrology. These two powerhouses combine to conduct the soulful, highly focused evolutionary power of Pluto through the cosmic intelligence of Jupiter. The square is obsessive and passionate; it is not given to the best judgment. It's the kind of aspect that thinks it's right whether it's right or wrong, and we can look to this astrology for the religious zeal that both leaders and populations are pitting against one another in demonstrations in the Middle East and in the United States.

Let's just say this comes with commitment if not discernment. At its worst it's devious and at its best it's on fire with drive and determination. That happens on Feb. 25, with Jupiter in Aries and Pluto in Capricorn. You can just feel this one pulsing through the ethers. Though Uranus square Pluto is brewing, Jupiter is what has facilitated the current burst of awareness and passion. It's a kind of warmup for Uranus arriving in Aries on March 11.

Note that Jupiter is one of the ruling planets of Pisces. The two planets associated with Pisces are getting a lot of action in these years, and we're starting to see it burst into consciousness. The second aspect  involves the 'modern ruler' of Pisces, which is Neptune. Still in late Aquarius for the moment, Neptune is about to take a simultaneous conjunction from Mars and Mercury. This happens Feb. 20, so we're right in the mix now. To me this aspect looks like an invitation to do some fabulously hot writing. Like Jupiter square Saturn, it's begging for positive expression, and that energy is abundantly available. Partly, it's a matter of slowing down your mind enough to follow your own thoughts. 

The three critters with the number 28 next to them are Mars, Neptune and Mercury, in an exact conjunction. We've had quite a few triple conjunctions lately, but nothing quite like this.

The combination is Mercury, Mars and Neptune. Mercury + Mars is fast mind, that can move from concept to conclusion instantly. It's a good aspect for an editor or lawyer to have, assuming they are at least a bit tempered; this aspect can light a fire in the mind. Add Neptune to this and the flash goes off in the imagination. In Aquarius, it's got a kinky, intellectual or technological feeling. This would be the perfect chart to launch a very smart porn site. While it's not purely about sex, Mars (ruler of Scorpio) gives that feeling. Note that Jupiter (a planet connected to Pisces) is teaming up with Pluto (a planet connected to Scorpio) and we get a similar picture here.

This astrology is excellent for making movies, conceptualizing them or even watching them in good company (the friends are signified by Aquarius). However, if you're not taking it on a creative level, and I mean consciously directed energy with some discipline mixed in, these might be slippery -- for example, it's easy DWI territory, good for misunderstandings and stupid fights, etc. So I suggest you focus your mind on something you're passionate about, hang out with people you trust, and keep some basic boundaries in mind. Then, these aspects will be a lot of fun.

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Weekly Horoscope for Friday, February 18, 2011, #850 - BY ERIC FRANCIS

Eric's Zodiac Sign Descriptions

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- You feel like you lack the substance or the energy to live up to your potential. I don't think you'll be lacking energy for long, and as for substance, that is a matter of grounding. I suggest that you take the idea of grounding, initially, as focusing on a specific purpose. At the moment, you may find yourself being obsessed over a work-related goal, but I would propose you might want to shift that emphasis and make it a personal goal. That is, of course, if you think there's a difference. If you don't, more power to you: that's a sign you're already committed to a purpose and identify with it strongly. In truth we're not 'work people' and 'personal people' or 'relationship people', we are one unified critter. The astrology of this moment is about getting as close to your core as you can, and thriving on that passion. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aries, please go to this link.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- There once was a writer named Simone de Beauvoir. I've only read her translated into English, but she is amazing. One thing I learned from her appears in your charts this week. She proposes that women and men are conditioned differently on a few key themes, one of which is the purpose of relationships in their lives. Men are trained that their relationships are part of their lives; women, she says, are trained to believe that their lives are about their relationships. I'm with Simone in my observation that underneath the conditioning, men and women have far more in common than most will admit, but this one observation has always impressed me as revealing so much. I can tell you that the astrology of the next few days can show you how big your world is, how many people care about you, and how many adventures you have available. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Taurus, please go to this link.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- Today the Sun enters Pisces, making a conjunction to Chiron (newly arrived in Pisces). The Sun sheds light, and I think this will answer some of your recent doubts about whether you're really 'good enough' to do what you want to do, and whether you have what it takes to focus the talent that you want to express. The thing about seeking your fortunes in some creative way, and with that I would include taking creative approaches to everyday activities, is that your real assets sometimes feel intangible. Chiron's presence in the angle of your chart that addresses reputation and achievement has two main influences: one is to stir up your doubts, and the other is to focus your power. I suggest you work with this polarity. There is good information on both sides of the dilemma, and both polarities can propel you nicely toward your most cherished goals. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Gemini, please go to this link.
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Take a breath. This really weird Full Moon is over, and the Moon has entered a more grounded sign -- Virgo. You now get to think about everything you've just experienced. But don't try to make it make too much sense. Take a light approach to your mental process. You might try to overcompensate for the warpy uncertainty of the past week with obsessive overthinking. Rather, put your ideas to work. Ride on the momentum of the Moon -- it's still at full phase. But let it light up your mind with ideas, new approaches to old problems, and clarity to help you remedy your self-critical tendencies. One way to catch the energy is to write. And I do mean Friday and Saturday, as soon as possible, particularly if you're feeling the need or inspiration to put something into words. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Cancer, please go to this link.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- You like to give people the benefit of the doubt; for the next week or so, I suggest you hold them to a slightly higher standard. Verify what you're told; you may be particularly inclined to believe people you find especially compelling. In this process, the first source of information is what you hear from them. You know those times when someone tells you, 'I'm a total jerk,' and you forget to notice or you think it doesn't apply to you. Then, you're surprised when the person turns out to actually be a jerk. Well, listen to all of that stuff, and remember it. Be particularly alert to people who tell you they have problems with honesty, or with alcohol or other substances. Be alert to those who only talk about their problems. There are other people available -- people who have been there and done that, and are very cool. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Leo, please go to this link.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- You seem to be keeping your clarity and sailing your boat upright despite some stormy seas around you. If you had a completely warped week at the office, complete with clairvoyant events, dependable people slacking off, other people cranky from getting no sleep, and probably a computer or two taking on a life of its own. In the past, this is the kind of thing that might have spun you around; I foresee a time in your life when you have the pleasure of letting others do all the spinning around and getting dizzy, while you look for productive involvements. You will always be drawn into your community. Make sure you check at least two qualities on the short checklist of fun, helpful or interesting before you do. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Virgo, please go to this link.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- Your sign is the one cut from whole cloth on the theme of how any physical ailment has an emotional root. This will be true for many people but you're particularly sensitive to this, and the emotional nature of what may ail you at any moment may be contagious. It's not necessarily that there is a virus going around, but rather a feeling. It may seem odd to anyone whose sensibilities go in the direction of germ-based Western medicine to think that a feeling that leads to the sensation of being ill is contagious, but I am sure you could come up with many examples in a few minutes. This works for specific forms of discomfort, and happily the situation also points to the remedy existing on the level of understanding those feelings. The Sun making a conjunction to Chiron in the health and well-being area of your chart says that you can learn everything you need to know about how to feel good. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Libra, please go to this link.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- For the moment, I don't suggest you trust your emotions. Note what they are, but it would not be a wise idea to act on them, or make decisions or even judgments. It's a great time for things like art, or sex with people you really, truly trust. Remember that you may have some extreme emotional responses or reactions, so whoever you share time and space with needs to be able to handle this. One useful approach to this astrology is to study things from your past that you have reason to doubt. This is a little like taking a homeopathic approach to something that requires clarity. The astrology has a deceptive, unstable quality, but this also gives it a penetrating effect. It has the feeling of 'too rich for words'. You might want to express your discoveries in words, but the words will be more memorable and poignant if you illustrate them with pictures. These don't have to be ones you make, but also movies you watch or images that you find. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Scorpio, please go to this link.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Jupiter, the planet of Sagittarius, is walking into a 90-degree aspect with Pluto -- that's called Jupiter square Pluto. This is designed to give you plenty of confidence in yourself, though I suggest you go light with that. There's something passionate about this aspect, but it can be devious and self-destructive. Other aspects suggest you may not see the effects of your thinking until it's a bit too late, so I suggest you delay decisions or 'final conclusions' for about five days. Making any moves or snap judgments under pressure is definitely not advisable, but you might want to save your first impressions for future review. You're in a potent new phase where your creativity or some vibrant idea is taking over your life. The art to art and love is using these potent forces constructively, and considering the greatest good. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Sagittarius, please go to this link.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- You may be totally, completely wrong about a financial matter, so there is no use worrying. Nor should you get too excited if your balance is $50,000 too high. In fact, you might want to skip the whole money thing until next week, and focus on having fun. One element of your astrology gives you freedom from beliefs about what you think is true for you, and always has been. Another element offers an emotional power surge and an entirely different idea. This may feel like a sudden, fiery burst of awareness that feels like I am who I am. Remember that this is as much about forgetting who you thought you were as it is about remembering something new. In this kind of learning process, both are vital. This will teach you to let go of the habit of doing so much remembering who you were that you don't have space to make a new discovery or two. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Capricorn, please go to this link.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Karma, translated as simply as possible, is about the results of your actions. The big joke of karma in Western civilization is that we forget that our actions have results (much less consequences), and thus we keep acting as if they do not. This causes a lot of problems, and we may wonder where they all came from. An aspect in your sign this week (a four-planet exact conjunction) is a reminder to study the process of cause and effect. In some ways it's more obvious than it seems; in other ways it's less obvious. Observe both, and see if you can get in on the game and use this mysterious translation from potential to manifestation for your benefit. Remember that there is no effect without a cause, and no cause without an effect. Where you have one you will have the other, which will resolve many mysteries for you -- ongoing. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Aquarius, please go to this link.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- For the past year, most of the standout astrological events have involved Pisces or one of the planets associated with it. But in that typically fishy way, many have been just offstage, behind the scenes or active in the background of your chart. That began to change recently, if you had not noticed from the intensified reactions of people around you, an increase in your sense of presence on the planet, and newfound energy that seems to be driving you toward specific goals. Fears that used to plague you have disappeared like steam. The odd sense that you had no idea what was bothering you has been replaced by a determination to solve your problems and move onto more creative things. The Sun enters your sign for a month today. Take that time and appreciate everything you've done for yourself and the world. To pre-order Light Bridge, your full-length 2011 reading including written and audio segments for Pisces, please go to this link.

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Eric Francis, the founder and editor of Planet Waves, is an astrologer and investigative journalist. He was working in his first job as a municipal newspaper reporter when he discovered that his editor also owned an astrology bookstore. This began a long relationship between astrology and journalism, which has taken Eric through the pages of many newspapers as a horoscope writer, including the Daily Mail and the Daily Mirror plus numerous other venues. Today, Eric covers global turning point events through the lens of astrology. He is a specialist in newly-discovered planets.