More to Astrology than Eclipses

As the dust settles around Thursday's solar eclipse -- the first in Taurus since 1995 -- there are other interesting aspects in the neighborhood. The Sun is now in the last decanate (10-degree span, or 'face') of the sign Taurus, which phase is ruled by Saturn. This is a message to tidy up your energy and focus your efforts on your highest priorities.

Planets are starting to fan out after the eclipse in Taurus. Here, you can see the Moon, Venus and Jupiter in Gemini. From the top reading the chart counter-clockwise, Eris, Mars, the South Node, Pallas, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, the Black Moon Lilith or lunar apogee, Vesta and Ceres.

The Moon ingresses Gemini on Friday at 5:21 pm. Tonight the Moon is conjunct Venus, newly in Gemini, at 8:49 pm EDT.

One of the nicest features of the solar eclipse was that the ruler of the eclipse had slipped out of Taurus and into Gemini, making the event more mentally accessible.

The Moon will make a conjunction to Jupiter Sunday at 9:32 am. This could support a weekend with the potential for easygoing conversation and a break from the heaviness of the world.

In the mix, Mercury will be conjunct Pallas in Taurus Saturday at 10:33 am. There's another interesting aspect between a traditional planet and an asteroid -- Mars will square Juno Saturday at 12:29 pm EDT. Both of these aspects suggest that your best strategy will be stating what you need and what you want rather than expecting anyone to figure it out.

The Moon ingresses Cancer Monday at 5:57 am EDT. Venus moves into a square with Neptune Monday at 4:47 pm EDT, hinting that figuring out what you feel is a process.

Don't take any potential ambivalence as a sign that something is wrong; both Gemini and Pisces are dualistic, mutable signs, and there are a lot of potentials for how you might feel and why you might feel that way. Take your time figuring it out.




Solar Eclipse in Taurus, Featuring Many Asteroids --
and the Cleveland Captives Set Free by Heracles!

The new edition of Planet Waves FM covers the powerful solar eclipse we experienced on Thursday, with effects that will reverberate for many seasons, even for years. This is the first solar eclipse in Taurus since 1995.

I go over the chart of the eclipse, including taking a look at the minor planets that align with it. It's a beautiful collection, including Pallas, Psyche, Hermes, Dionysus and the protector of young women, Diana.

I also read the chart of the 911 call made by Amanda Berry, the woman who was missing for more than 10 years. She was set free by Charles Ramsey, who turns up in the chart as Heracles. The chart describes a chilling crime scene, though a story with a happier ending than anyone (including a psychic) would have predicted.

Our program is sponsored this week by the Invocation of Spring report, which is a study in relationship dynamics. This report serves all 12 signs -- with readings of about 35 minutes each, and can be used for your Sun, Moon or rising sign -- or those of partners or love interests.

We also have the Taurus birthday reading available. You can listen to a tasty sample of both the astrology and the tarot segments at this link. This is an inspired, motivational reading that will guide you if you're a Taurus Sun, Moon or rising.

Our musical guest is the folk group Girlyman, featuring their excellent musicianship and harmony vocals. Some members are working on a new record, which you can hear about at this link.

Here are the charts and more information about the eclipses.




Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The May monthly extended horoscopes were published Friday, April 26. Inner Space horoscopes for May were published Tuesday, April 30. We published the Moonshine horoscopes for the Scorpio Full Moon and eclipse on Tuesday, April 23. On Tuesday, May 7, we published the Moonshine horoscopes for the Taurus New Moon. Note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; a new Inner Space is generally emailed on the following Tuesday.




Weekly Horoscope for Friday, May 10, 2013 #949 | By Eric Francis
Aries (March 20-April 19) -- How can you value yourself if you're afraid to show the world who you are? The two concepts form a direct contradiction to one another. I suggest you monitor your thoughts carefully for any hint of 'restrain yourself' or 'don't say how you feel' and notice whether these impulses are connected to the issue of worthiness. It's true from one limited point of view that there's an appropriate time for everything. The question is what side of the line of appropriateness do you choose to err on? You can practice conservatism as a veiled form of living in fear, or you can err on the side of expressing yourself in that moment when you might be pushing boundaries. You're safe doing this as long as you're actually coming from what you truly value. In the process, you're just as likely to discover that what you thought was true for you no longer is. This implies conducting your life as an experiment, which in turn hints at not knowing the outcome in advance.


Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- This may be a time in your life unlike any other, and I do mean in some profound ways. I am also speaking in the longterm -- you've just experienced the first solar eclipse in your birth sign since 1995, suggesting that you can move long-stuck energy, and bring desires to fruition that have potentially been brewing all that time. Yet to take advantage of the moment and its opportunities for growth and celebrating life, it's necessary to go beneath the image you wish to portray to the world and offer the substance you're made of. This can be challenging if past experiences of revealing yourself have ended badly -- and who hasn't had some of those? One thing to keep in mind is that people in your environment are making contact with some of their deepest insecurities. They may or may not be revealing that; they may be more or less aware of what's happening. Pay special attention to sexual situations that seem to provoke the fear of intimacy, or some form of jealousy. There's more potential for healing in those situations than you may imagine.




Hello Taurus Sun, Moon and rising sign folks! Your Taurus 2013 birthday reading is ready. I cover Saturn in your opposite sign Scorpio, as well as the current eclipses, and what it means to have so many planets in your sign, rising sign or Moon sign at this time of year. I speak to you for an hour about your relationships, your quest for independence and what looks like some special motivation to grow and become. It's a beautiful reading, recorded with a warm, intimate feeling. You may listen as many times as you like, or download it into iTunes or another MP3 player. The tarot reading reading includes photos of the spread, the chart and access to last year's reading if you want to check my accuracy. You can order your birthday reading here for just $24.95.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- The current astrology has you on a tour of the unknown, uncharted, unacknowledged regions of your psyche. This is likely to come with some form of the message that there's a lot you don't know about yourself. Few people are comfortable with that feeling, but when you're there, you're there. Yet sincere not knowing is the state that usually precedes sincerely finding out. If you work with this equation over the next few weeks, you're almost certain to make some discoveries that will help you guide your life in the direction that you've been called for a long time. You're unlikely to have certainty in advance that the choices you make are right. Indeed, you seem to be going through an encounter with your own doubts. You need to go beyond your opinions or your feelings to do this. Rather, document your observations, particularly those of a spiritual or self-realization nature. At times you may find yourself in a dreamlike state, and you may forget things that you see and experience. When the time comes to know and remember, you will be happy you've left yourself some notes.


Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- It's a frightful thought for most people to have their innermost self or innermost thoughts known to others. Think of all the effort that goes into putting up various veils, decoys and disguises. Consider all the thought that goes into being polite, stating things in oblique ways and even learning how to tell creative white lies. Now imagine how much energy all of this image-building creates -- and tune into the feeling of how all you really want to do is be real. You may be bursting to express what is true and what is most valuable to you. I suggest you take this as a moment when you can initiate that, or step up your efforts and be more bold than usual. You may find this idea helpful. Your solar chart suggests that it's obvious to others who you are, so you don't need to worry about anyone finding out something new. The question is your relationship to who you actually are. Avoidance or denial will consume your energy; sincerity and willingness to be clear and vulnerable will concentrate and focus your energy.


Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- It's worth considering the differences between the perception of success and actual achievement. It's also worth considering the relationship between them -- there is one. People seem more inclined to bet on who they think looks like a winner, vote for who looks like president or invest in a company with a strong image. The pattern in yesterday's solar eclipse describes you integrating the two ideas -- what you've accomplished and presenting what you've accomplished in a way that focuses attention. The chart also includes the description of a longterm project coming to fruition financially; one of the things described involves the financial rewards of your work. This is something that can grow and develop over time, on every level: economic, creative and also social. The social piece is integral to everything, since both outreach and fostering cooperation are essential to almost any venture or project that is focused on people, and these factors are especially strong. I suggest you work them consciously, because what you focus on will have a tendency to increase.


Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- You're being invited into a new universe of possibilities, and to get there, it'll help significantly if you leave a number of old beliefs and mental habits behind. Many of these look like some of the stereotypical self-critical Virgo issues, though as anyone born under your sign knows, that's neither a myth nor a legend. Be aware of all beliefs that would qualify as hostile to yourself. These have had a way of turning into a religion, and you need a better one of those -- one that's worldly and practical and that has your happiness and success as its primary goal. Speaking of religion, I've often noticed the extent to which people underestimate the impact of religion. This can include what came by osmosis (from various sources, ranging from grandparents to movies to the Boy Scouts). I suggest you pay attention and inquire whether any vaguely negative or self-hostile thought doesn't have its roots in a religious notion, whether you consciously chose it or not. It's time for a mental purge of all such influences, which will help you discover what they've been hiding from your view.




Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- This is a time of resolving your old commitments and entanglements, and moving on to a life that may take you far from anywhere you've ever been before. I suggest you summon your sense of adventure and your faith in yourself and get ready to make a series of moves. Don't waste your time delaying on resolving what you know you're through with. Make a list of the remaining points to address or work through and set a short schedule for doing so. You are being called beyond those prior attachments, commitments and ideas of who you need to be to others. This may include being drawn to other parts of the country or the world, and beginning what looks like it could be the adventure of a lifetime. This may feel like expressing another aspect of yourself entirely, a hidden side or some parallel reality that you might not have expressed under more typical circumstances. Yet if ever there was a rare moment in your life, this is it.


Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Give partners or loved ones a chance to meet you on their own terms -- and see if that's acceptable to you. There's a good chance that when someone you care about or have an interest in finds their own way in life, it will have some significant overlap with your ideas or your plans. Yet a key element in this scenario is that whoever we're talking about comes to whatever conclusion or decision they are going to make on their own, rather than under your influence. Part of what they're experiencing is feeling too influenced by others, and wanting with every cell in their body not to feel that pressure. As for your own involvement, it would be healthy of you to diversify a bit, and to explore a concept of relationship that does not insist on a high level of attachment or even involvement. Our marriage-obsessed culture tends to do things backwards, like set a goal of a 'permanent' partner rather than exploring a process of seeing who you trust, who you like and what you have in common.


Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- It's important to know how much is enough, which includes enough work, enough attention to your health, enough time or effort spent on something and enough emphasis on the idea of relationships rather than the reality. No sign description of Sagittarius that you'll ever read would say, "These people are good at living a balanced life," though it's clear that one of the inevitable longterm projects you're involved with is one of balance. The way the scale is tipping right now, some balance in the direction of what actually makes you happy would serve you well. This would include being alert for what aggravates, irritates and eats your energy. I suggest you also be alert for what you have not completed, and set about the task of wrapping things up with that person or aspect of your life. At the moment, everything in your chart is guiding you in the direction of closure. You're about to have access to a lot of energy -- I do mean a lot -- and you don't want to waste it dragging behind you anything you don't really want or need.


Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- I've described this week's solar eclipse as moving heaven and Earth -- and that is certainly true for you. Eclipses have long-lasting effects; this one isn't over. It actually just began, and what's interesting is that there hasn't been a solar eclipse in Taurus since 1995 -- an unusually long time. So this signifies setting free an awesome amount of energy in the creative zone of your chart -- your solar 5th house of play, art, pleasure and sex for fun. Since it's also about children, you might want to monitor changes in their lives if you have any, though let's stick to you. You could say that this eclipse is about letting go in all of the places where you've tended to hold back. As you let go, you may notice that some deeper themes or issues come up. Creativity, love, passion and pleasure all tend to bring up everything unlike themselves. So as you explore your more expressive side, leave some room for what comes up for healing -- and the energy to address that.


Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- You may think that you have to get your life in order, or feel perfectly secure, before you dare to express yourself creatively. However, that's a setup for not expressing yourself much at all, since it's rare that our lives are in perfect order (and besides, creativity thrives with at least a dash of chaos or challenge). It's worth questioning these kinds of if/then statements: if I'm healed, or perfect, I can do this or that. Often the healing or the 'perfecting' comes in the process of creation, or of somehow taking action. Said another way, creative and sexual experiences are part of the normal flow of life, not the outcome of some special effort, or state of deserving. The confidence you seek you will find through taking chances, not by waiting until you're confident to take a chance. There may be some obvious signs that this is true, for example an alluring opportunity that you might try if you felt up to it, but which you can still try, even if you're not sure.


Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- We've all heard the term "Think globally, act locally." The idea is reputed to come from a Scottish town planner and urban theorist named Patrick Geddes (1854-1932). Geddes also gave us the idea of a 'region' and coined the term 'conurbation', which describes a metropolitan area where towns and cities seem to overlap. These are all themes that relate to how Thursday's solar eclipse aspected your chart. In a sense, it's about claiming the space you occupy, though it's more of the regional space: your community and local slice of the orange on which you live. It's also describing your relationship to your neighbors and the people in your community, encouraging you to invest your energy locally to the greatest extent possible. There's likely to be a beautiful result if you do. One other thing -- this is the year when you take concrete steps to improve your quality of life, specifically in the spaces that you occupy. This happens every now and then, though the conditions are perfect for creating more space, better space and better use of space. That, in turn, is about creating harmony between your life and your world.