Winter view of Notre Dame Cathedral on Ile de la Cite in Paris. Begun in 1163 under Pope Alexander III, one of the most famous Roman Catholic Cathedrals in the world has stood through the terms of 94
popes. Digital photo by Eric Francis.
Dear Friend and Reader:
Today is the approach to the Gemini Full Moon. The Sun opposite Moon aspect is exact overnight or early Tuesday morning in most US and European time zones, so today and tonight is the peak of energy. More details are in my Monday post about the week's astrology, called
Business, as Unusual. To sum up: We are often inclined to take a ride on lunar energy (a kind of emotional trip), rather than steering consciously (an aware journey). So the idea for maximum benefit from this astrology is to bring things to the level of consciousness; to notice how you are feeling, responding or reacting, and to check in whether your approach to any situation is rational or sensible. It may not be, but you'll feel better for knowing that.
With the Gemini Full Moon, we can often get a lot of chatter: lots of words, not so much said. That's fine if it's fun, but feel free to cut conversations short. You will not miss much. If you're planning to start anything this week, I suggest waiting until after the Full Moon has passed, and not following your emotional impulses.
Last month's square between Saturn and Pluto arrived with so many turning points. Now comes the moment of clarity: Chiron conjunct Neptune in Aquarius. We heard from this aspect in the spring; now it's back, with a new dimension of waking up from the dream of technology, of advertising and of mood-stabilizing substances. Also of note, Mars stations retrograde around the time of the winter solstice, which lasts till late winter; and yes Mars is that red thing you keep seeing in the sky. It will be our constant companion all through the next season, guiding us on a journey to find a new level of our true identity and deeper desires. I will have more to say about this as it affects individuals in
Cosmic Confidential, the 2010 annual edition of Planet Waves.
For those concerned about the Afghanistan situation, we currently have daily coverage on the
Planet Waves main page, including
this article by Fe Bongolan. See you there.
Yours & truly,
Hey! Do you receive Planet Waves by forward? Please sign up.
(March 20-April 19)
What is it that stops you from taking the risks you know will improve your life? Primarily I mean expressing yourself honestly, without obsessing over what others will think of you, or what certain personal choices will do to your image. Many blame having kids as the main obstacle in their lives. This often involves wanting to be perceived as a good parent. You would need to test this theory against the basic facts of what you were doing before those children arrived. In any event, you now begin an inner search for the wrench in the works of your creative process. It's in there; and you will find it.
(April 19- May 20)
If you've learned anything this year, it's been not to keep secrets from yourself. Opinions and even judgments of others matter ever less when you're on the level with yourself. What you withhold from yourself creates an energy field that attracts parasites and consumes the energy that you would use to make actual decisions. At the moment, the focus of your charts is on what's commonly called career, and what I call making yourself useful in the community in a personally satisfying way. True, it's easy enough to be vaguely of service, but in our momentous times, you need a higher standard. You need the full benefit of confidence in yourself.
(May 20- June 21)
Sex changes everything, and we can be thankful for that cosmic truth. The sex that seems to change nothing is probably not worth bothering with; or may be an indication of a much deeper problem. By 'changes everything' I would say that mainly includes your sense of value in relationships. It appears that you're about to have some kind of encounter, conversation or revelation that compels you to take a major step in your relationship growth. By step, I mean the awareness that you deserve more and have nothing to feel guilty about. You're not just capable of going deeper than you usually let yourself go; now, it's necessary.
(June 21- July 22)
You're finally figuring out how resourceful you are. Now you are about to figure out how valuable you are in the lives of others, no matter how great or mighty they may be. Act immediately on this knowledge; by that I mean, apply it to the very next decision you make from the moment you actually register the discovery in your mind. You are healing something about your self-esteem, and through this process you gain the power to radically increase your income. But it's an all-or-nothing package; the rewards come as you stop doubting yourself and start trusting yourself, as a day-to-day yoga.
(July 22- Aug. 23)
One of the great things about being a Leo is how engaging in any form of creative expression can light you up with the warmth of cosmic love. The feeling, entirely alien to many, is so normal to you that you often overlook it. Expressing your curiosity works the same way; taking the chance of faith does as well. The Sun is now in your empathic fire sign Sagittarius, which is the source of this quality of your awareness -- the heart of cosmic fire. Other aspects suggest that the people around you are ready to experience you at full strength. Choose carefully what you express to whom; above all else, make sure the contact is meaningful to both of you.
(Aug. 23- Sep. 22)
Saturn will be back in your birth sign for a few months next year, but for now, it's in Libra, helping you iron out certain details of a major life decision. There are compelling factors on both sides of the argument, yet while they may seem to be equal or equivalent, this is not really true. Significant influences suggest that one side of this issue deserves your attention more than the other. There is something here about your loyalty to people and situations in the distant past, and how you need to organize your life and your thoughts in a way that honors the present and your potential in the future.
Frozen forest in late winter, near New Paltz, New York (in the Clove Valley). Photo by Eric Francis.
(Sep. 22 - Oct. 23)
Among your many creative talents, one is ready to take a new role as a healing art. By this, I don't mean that you need to set up a massage table in a candlelit room. Rather, observe the effects that your creative efforts have on others. It would help to ask their opinions and listen to the answers. This, in turn, will give you new ideas for how to improve your craft, including how to make your ideas simpler and more accessible. Focus on how your creative gift advances the cause of your own peace of mind, which will give you inspiration to keep your focus, and a significant clue about how you help others.
(Oct. 23- Nov. 22)
It is trendy to have twenty career goals these days, which may account for the trend of many people feeling like they're getting nowhere. One of the struggles of having just one or two goals, however, is the feeling that you're sacrificing what you love in order to accomplish something else; and this may be true, for a while. Yet as you concentrate your efforts, you will make the discovery of the seeming different things you do have in common. Every cell in your body and every planet in your chart is working together to create that sense of concentrated energy and singularity of purpose. Follow that calling and you will receive a gift you cannot get any other way.
(Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
There's a fine line between what we call thoughts and what we call feelings. Or perhaps there is a space where they overlap and influence one another. One way to sort the difference is to count thoughts as an active process and feelings as a passive one. You ride your thoughts like a bicycle and notice your feelings like the scenery that you're riding past. Your planets this month suggest that this is the time to be focusing on riding the bike, because you're about to reach a branch in the road. You will know you're there when you wake up one morning and ask, "Where am I, really? And for that matter, who?" Note, this is likely to be a pleasant experience.
(Dec. 22- Jan. 20)
You have made a series of changes based on necessity, and that has come in two forms. One is a compelling sense of the person you must be. Another is your sense of what you must achieve. Our entire society is structured to divide these qualities of existence. In other words, we are taught to make compromises, rather than to reconcile our inner and outer lives. One sign you've made too many compromises, or perhaps just one extremely significant one, is boredom. Everything in your charts is about renewal. How do you get there? Stoke your curiosity, and recognize that as the incredible form of freedom that it is.
(Jan. 20- Feb. 19)
It would be wrong to say you've been in a fog for the past 10 years, though you may wake up one day and realize that you've been really, truly confused about what you want. Certain goals were plastered on top of that confusion, in an effort to make life bearable and to give you a sense of focus. It's time to move beyond bearable, and to reap the benefits of authentic clarity. It's only fair to warn you that this clarity will cause you to make decisions. Before you do that, I suggest you take a few moments and reflect on the differences between what is genuinely important to you and what is little more than a ruse.
(Feb. 19- March 20)
Now is the time to ask, if you had every possible advantage in your professional life, what would you do with it? This would apply to trying something entirely new, as much as it would to taking what you've been doing for a while to a new level. You are someone who is destined to thrive in a niche environment, that is, to make a big success out of something specific, that meets a certain need. One trick is conveying your sense of wild idealism and your general desire to save the world to making a contribution in a precise area of life that cannot quite be done by anyone else.
