New York, June 15, 2017 | View as Webpage | Order Your Spring Reading
Sample from the audio file from this week's edition of Planet Waves FM. The lines are the silent spaces between the words that my listener was complaining about.
Those Little Gaps of Silence
Dear Friend and Reader:
Within the past year or two, I received a comment from a listener to Planet Waves FM, who complained that I pause too much when I'm speaking. He said that he would be running my program through a "truncate silence" filter, in order to condense my language. He wanted to speed up the pacing of my thought process. Apparently I think too slowly for him; if he only knew.
This is the perfect example of how electric media affects people: we come to expect being overwhelmed. By electric media, I mean the whole story arc of an electrically powered environment, from telegraph to electric light to digital. They all have one thing in common, which is electricity. (Technically, the word electronic refers to the presence of transistors, which are little electric switches.)
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Telegraph operator works the closest thing to Twitter. |
The telegraph made it possible for information to reach from the White House to Buckingham Palace at the speed of light (it used to take a month), or for people to play chess in real time, between New York and Baltimore. It was equally good for both purposes.
The electric light blended night and day, which in turn messes with our natural rhythms and our relationship to the natural world, and to the cosmos.
Radio, television and digital overwhelm us with information, opinions, options and images, to the point where it's nearly impossible to breathe. They scramble sensory balance to the point where it's difficult to perceive one's relationship to one's body.
So let's see: this week, "the news" included the following, in no special order (it all seemed to happen simultaneously, which is reasonably accurate):
Someone opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon on a group of U.S. representatives and senators who were practicing for a charity baseball game, critically wounding one; the attorney general of the United States had to deny publicly that he was involved in espionage and treason, and on live television refused to answer many questions from senators; a 24-story affordable housing tower burned down in London, killing many people.
The president of the United States is under investigation by the special counsel (an independent federal prosecutor) for obstruction of justice; he is also considering firing the guy who is investigating him; the jurors in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial appear to be deadlocked; the president is trying to roll back normalization of relations with Cuba (apparently Russia is OK, when Cuba being friends with Russia was our original excuse for blockading Cuba). A woman in Maine drowned a rabid raccoon in a puddle. Donald Trump turned 71 years old on Wednesday.
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Early electric street light, probably late 19th-century. Incredibly, we still drape our streets with wires more than 150 years later. |
We have not heard much from Mike Pence lately. I suspect he's already president, doing the job quietly, while his boss takes the country for a ride on a train wreck.
Does anyone really want things to go faster?
Where do we think we're going? Lakota Shaman Lame Deer wrote many years ago that Americans are on "the road to nowhere -- a paved highway which they themselves bulldoze and make smooth so that [humans] can get faster to the big empty hole which they'll find at the end, waiting to swallow them up." He may as well have been referring to the "information superhighway," which is an early term for the internet. It's definitely starting to feel like a road to nowhere.
What all these news events that ripped through consciousness this week have in common is that not only did we hear about them via internet or digital cable news, they are all emerging from a society dominated by that environment. The hyperbolic speed of events, and their rapid delivery, are all properties of electric media.
Mercury Square Neptune: Crisis of Reason
When you get a week of events like this, it's natural for both astrologers and astrology fans to wonder what the heck was going on in the sky. While there are always many little things going on, the main event of the week was Mercury square Neptune. That was exact at 11:29 pm EDT on Tuesday night. Mercury is, on one level, about mind and communications. Let's start there. Mercury square Neptune has some difficulty discerning the truth. It blurs the differences between "true" and "untrue" in a kind of irrational haze.
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At this stage of its development, the phone system was run by operators, who would manually make connections. There was no ability to dial, and many families would share what's called a "party line," leading to the rapid spread of gossip, including by the operators, who could listen in on any local call. The private telephone number, reached automatically, came later. |
People who have this aspect in their natal chart must work for intellectual integrity. It does not come naturally or as a birthright. If they don't do the work of cultivating that integrity, they will remain in that fog, and typically pay for it somehow. That's where our whole society stands at the moment.
One thing about Mercury is that it can represent the mentality of young people, such as children and adolescents. And you might say that society is in the thrall of immature thinking and behavior. Neptune in this equation is the influence of fantasy, delusion and the media haze. Mercury is mind and mentality.
Kasia Urabaniak, who was my guest on Planet Waves FM last week, said to me the other night, "People seek enlightenment, but what they really want is to be adults."
I would add that these days some people are seeking justice, but what they really need is maturity and the ability to discuss issues with people with whom they might vehemently disagree.
We got a little taste of that potential, at least in astrological theory, with the Sun's opposition to Saturn on Thursday. Normally this would be a cool-down, sober-up, and get-some-work-done kind of aspect. It also describes a face-to-face meeting between two important facets of consciousness that are alternatives to the child-mind: adult (the Sun) and parent (Saturn).
The out-of-control child aspect of self will try to lure others into coming from parent mode. This is not productive. What we really need are people who can relate to one another from adult mode. Yet at the moment, there are very few people who can do that. We live in what Robert Bly described as a "sibling society." I recently heard the word "kidult" for the first time, used by a "millennial" to describe herself and, presumably, her generation.
"I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal," Bly writes in his 1996 book by that title.
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At the dawn of radio, Orson Welles directs the broadcast of War of the Worlds on Oct. 30, 1938. This incident, covered recently in Planet Waves, gave the world a taste of the power of radio. |
He later comments, "The distance between the adolescent and the true adult is about five thousand miles, but the distance between the adult and the elder is almost as large," adding later, "In the sibling society, both the adult and the elder get lost, and no one knows where they are."
There's one other quote from this work that's worth publishing here, related to politics and democracy. "All of those on the left, as I am, have always vastly preferred the democratic society over the hierarchical society and still do, but the democratic culture doesn't exist without highly informed citizens capable of thinking well, and if you have schools in which 40 percent of the people coming out of them cannot make change for a dollar, you don't have a democracy. You have a sibling society."
Note, this was first published 21 years ago, long before the internet had even become a mainstream thing.
Of Reason and Rationality
Mercury square Neptune also describes a loss of reason and rationality, which you could describe as the inner kid losing its bearings and taking over the whole psyche. This is one of the roots of the integrity issue that surrounds this aspect. If there's no reasoning process, or if reasoning is distorted, there's no objective way to establish right and wrong.
In Pennsylvania, the Bill Cosby jury is trying to sort out the issues in the midst of this convoluted mental and emotional environment. Are you following that story? He's accused of drugging his victims with three Quaaludes, which is enough sedative to perform a hip replacement.
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Early Fairchild planar transistor, one of the first renditions of the device and a breakthrough in the history of semiconductors; circa 1959. Now millions of these go on a chip a fraction of the size of a dime. Photo from the Computer History Museum. |
Looking for some fresh ideas today, I called up Andrew McLuhan, my media studies study-buddy and the grandson of my favorite philosopher, Marshall McLuhan.
I mentioned the guy who wanted me to talk faster, and who was filtering out the silence in my broadcasts. He recognized this as part of the overwhelm effect of electric media, which leaves you no time to think -- the very time I'm taking in those interminable three-second pauses in my spoken word presentations.
The electric media onslaught has supplanted the thoughtful reasoning process that was cultivated over long centuries by print media, especially by books. Particularly under digital conditions, everyone seems triggered, all the time. There's no 'safe space' in the world that will protect anyone from this. The safe space is something that we as individuals cultivate in our minds, and much of how we do that is through reading books, and learning how to think and reason for ourselves.
Under current conditions, Andrew said, "There is too much to process. With print, you have the luxury of taking your time and weighing things. With electric media, there is less and less time to take."
What we're experiencing is a society that desperately needs objectivity and rationality. The problems we have are not going to be solved in the continuous state of being triggered. One irrational thought or action leads to the next, and we keep waiting for something to change.
Andrew continued, "Objectivity and rationality by their nature call for distance. If you're letting emotions run the day, you're not giving yourself room to think and consider."
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The WITCH computer, short for the Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computing from Harwell. The WITCH was also known as The Harwell Dekatron Computer. It was slow (a multiplication took 5-10 seconds, slower than many brains), but this was justified by its ability to run for long periods of time unattended. |
So where does that leave us? In a PS, Andrew suggested that we could recover the loss of interior space, and thus, of rationality, that's been taken from us -- if we want to, as a society. His father Eric McLuhan said in another conversation that this would take several generations of people who learn how to read.
The teachings of Lame Deer suggest that people need to remember "the secret knowledge of their bodies, their senses, or their dreams." We need to use
"the knowledge the spirit has put into every one of them."
What we are experiencing is ultimately a spiritual problem, not one of rationality and reason. There is no going back. Even if we learn how to reason in a way taught by true literacy, we will still be doing so in this light-speed mash-up of digital conditions. We have experienced what I call an induced ascension.
We are on another level, though it's not a particularly enlightened one, and it's extremely unstable -- most people did not work to get here, as we can see. They were pushed out of their bodies by electric technology.
Learning how to read, patiently, from a book, and how to write, patiently, in pencil or pen, are necessary as initial steps. Learning how to get back into our bodies is even more important. That will help guide us to some other form of awareness that supersedes what has been done to us by electric and digital conditions.
Different spiritual traditions have given this many names. Seen one way, the whole problem we face exists on the level of the ego. There's a lot more to awareness, and to life, than that.
With love,
Only humans have come to a point where they no longer know why they exist. They don't use their brains, and they have forgotten the secret knowledge of their bodies, their senses, or their dreams. They don't use the knowledge the spirit has put into every one of them; they are not even aware of this, and so they stumble along blindly on the road to nowhere -- a paved highway which they themselves bulldoze and make smooth so that they can get faster to the big empty hole which they'll find at the end, waiting to swallow them up. It's a quick comfortable superhighway, but I know where it leads to. I've seen it. I've been there in my vision, and it makes me shudder to think about it.
-- The Lakota Shaman Lame Deer
Lame Deer, Seeker of Visions
Planet Waves (ISSN 1933-9135) is published each Tuesday and Thursday evening in Kingston, New York, by Chiron Return, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Core Community membership: $197/year. Editor and Publisher: Eric Francis Coppolino. Web Developer: Anatoly Ryzhenko. Astrology Editor: Amanda Painter. Client Services: Amy Elliott. Eric's Assistant: Ellen Dockery. Astrology Fact Checker: Len Wallick. Special Project Designer: Lizanne Webb. Copy Editor and Fact Checker: Jessica Keet. Media Consultant: Andrew Ellis Marshall McLuhan. Music Director: Daniel Sternstein. Bass and Drums: Daniel Grimsland. Additional Research, Writing and Opinions: Amy Jacobs, Cindy Ragusa and Carol van Strum.
Mind-Mapping Your Approach to the Solstice
By Amanda Painter
Within a week, summer here in the Northern Hemisphere will begin, signaled by the Sun's entrance into the sign Cancer on June 21. We're almost at the solstice: that time of maximum daylight, when you may experience a sense of extending your energy out into the world more than usual as a result of the longer (and warmer) days. If you tend to be a natural extravert, it probably feels great to get out there and go, go, go from sunup to sundown, drinking it all in.
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An example of mind-mapping, on the theme of health. |
If you're more of an energetic introvert it could be a little tougher to balance the desire to fully use these long days with a need to stay grounded, slow down, or in some other way nourish yourself.
Speaking to those themes as we approach the solstice are aspects involving the Sun, Mercury and Ceres in Gemini.
Today, the Gemini Sun opposes Saturn and the centaur planet Ixion in Sagittarius (exact beginning with Saturn at 6:18 am EDT / 10:18 UTC). Tomorrow, Mercury makes a conjunction to Ceres in Gemini (exact at 4:55 pm EDT / 20:55 UTC), still square Neptune in Pisces. Aspects involving Gemini means there's an emphasis on mental energy, your thought processes, and how and what you're communicating. Specifically, it means you'll want to notice how you're handling anything with two sides to the story.
Sun opposite Saturn in these signs could indicate indecision: you're coming up against some kind of limitation (such as an obligation or commitment), and you're torn between what you should do and what you want to do; or between what you said you'd do, and what you now realize you actually need to do. How do you express your needs and still honor the agreements or limits you're facing?
Continue reading →
Access Your INVOLUTION Readings Now -- Plus Previews
"Thank you for this great reading, dear Eric. Always such a pleasure to have these readings on video -- where your great warmth, intelligence and spontaneity shine through.
-- Lizzy, commenting on INVOLUTION
"I just wanted to thank you for the soulful way you weave the threads of the story into a beautiful tapestry that allows the viewer to open their hearts and souls to new possibilities and perspectives of their lives."
-- Lynn Levine, responding to INVOLUTION
"This is superb Eric! And most helpful. You only get better at what you do. Thank you."
-- Cristine Delorey, internationally acclaimed numerologist, on INVOLUTION for Sagittarius
Dear Friend and Reader:
Your INVOLUTION video readings are recorded and ready; these cover the astrology from late spring through midsummer 2017. The year so far has been nothing short of shocking; as in, on an almost daily basis -- and I see things coming to a peak of some sort with the Aug. 21 eclipse in just three months.
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Go figure! A reading where you actually can understand what the astrologer is talking about. This preview is from the Taurus video. See video samples here for each of the signs. |
We have a free video preview of all 12 signs, and you can read a written preview (really, a reading) in the links right at the bottom of this letter.
Also, the readings are now available as audio-only, so you can listen offline, or get them into a device and play them while you're out of the house.
The astrology between now and the eclipse will affect every single one of us, albeit in slightly different ways. And so I've recorded the INVOLUTION readings from the perspective that while you obviously want to know how it affects you personally, it will also be helpful to you to know how those around you are experiencing it.
You may order all 12 signs here, or individual signs here.
I'm one of a very few astrologers who can do a reading without the natal chart data, using both ancient techniques and new ones that I've developed over the years. My clients are, sincerely, amazed at how helpful and personally applicable these readings so dependably are.
To give you a sense of where I've gone with these 12 video readings, I've prepared an individual written preview page for each one. You can read all of them at the links below:
ARIES Preview | TAURUS Preview | GEMINI Preview | CANCER Preview | LEO Preview
VIRGO Preview | LIBRA Preview | SCORPIO Preview | SAGITTARIUS Preview
CAPRICORN Preview | AQUARIUS Preview | PISCES Preview
One of the most helpful things in this reading is my first interpretation of the Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017 -- which will streak across the entire United States from coast to coast. That eclipse will change life as we know it in the United States, and you'll want to have your surfboard positioned correctly when the wave comes in.
I'll have more in the full video readings, which are ready now. To get all 12 signs of INVOLUTION at a fantastic discount, please use this link -- you may share the readings with your family.
To purchase individual signs of INVOLUTION, please use this link.
Thank you for your business and for trusting me as your astrologer.
with love,
P.S. Here's more early feedback from INVOLUTION customers:
"I feel less alone in this universe from listening/viewing the reading."
-- Eileen
"Thank you Eric, So much depth to incorporate on so many levels! These past 10 years have brought more change and more insight into my life than I ever imagined was possible. I loved when you said that we might re-discover ourselves repeatedly. SO TRUE. The revelations about family issues, ties and generational connections are profound, to say the least. Thank you for addressing all these deep, personal, sometimes wrenching situations. I too wish to express my love and gratitude for the guidance and intensely personal gift you've given us."
-- Barb
"So deeply helpful and encouraging Eric; confirms my experiences recently and over the past 10 years. I'm so curious about what the 8/21 eclipse will bring/reveal. Saturn in Sagittarius moving to Capricorn this December marks my second Saturn return. I am at a very significant time in my life. Thanks so much for your care and guidance."
-- Lisa
 
Dicken, Milah and Korben Schrader performing their now-viral 2012 cover of “Everything Counts” by Depeche Mode. The trio recorded their first Depeche Mode video in 2010 as something to entertain friends and family. In May 2015, DMK released their first original song: " Pale Blue Dot," an homage to the famous photograph taken by the Voyager 1 space probe and Carl Sagan's thoughts about it.
By Amanda Painter
We may be approaching the Cancer solstice, when the Sun enters a sign ruled by the Moon (and therefore associated with women and motherhood), but in the U.S. on Sunday we celebrate the Father's Day holiday. What better way to do so than to feature a man who clearly approaches fatherhood with dedicated creativity and passion?
DMK, a Depeche Mode cover band from Bogota, Colombia, is made up of father Dicken Schrader and his two children, Milah and Korben Schrader. In their YouTube videos (like this one for "Everything Counts") Dicken captures a central image of himself and his two children playing instruments and signing, flanked by close-up views of their hands and feet working just out of the central frame.
In a post from DMK's Facebook page, papa Schrader writes, " Without a doubt, the most rewarding experience in my life has been being able to share stages around the world with my own children, paying humble tributes to the band that has always been the soundtrack to my own life. We've performed in Estéreo Picnic (Colombia’s most renowned music festival), in Texas, Barcelona, and in Poland. Our shows attract other DM fans who often bring their children, thus creating bridges across our generational gap through art and music."
Although visitors to their YouTube videos remark on what an obsessive Depeche Mode fan Dicken must be to recreate the band's songs in such accurate detail, you don't have to like the band at all to see the real beauty of DMK: a father fully invested in teaching his children and sharing his passion to create something unique together; an experience they may very well treasure for decades to come.
Don't forget to take advantage of this special gift: Eric's Daily Horoscope can arrive in your mailbox by 7 am ET, containing great astrological guidance for all 12 signs. You can sign up with our compliments, though we welcome donations.
New program every Tuesday at 7 pm at PlanetWaves.FM.
This Week on Planet Waves FM
An unexpected Gemini edition
Dear Friend and Listener:
So, I can't stay away from Planet Waves FM for long. It's really one of those things that I do merely to do it, though I love that it works for so many people.
This week is a full-strength bangin' Gemini edition [play episode here], featuring music by performance artist Laurie Anderson and a guest appearance by Weegee Fellig, one of the inventors of photojournalism [view chart here]. And, of course, lots of astrology.
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Broadcast setup at The Place of the Way, the new home of Planet Waves FM. Outside the frame is the music practice and recording area. |
Recently, the organization that publishes Planet Waves FM -- called Chiron Return -- was approved as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, non-business entity. We've been recognized for the public service work that we do, reaching an international audience in these crazy, trying and, in their own way, beautiful times.
If you listen to Planet Waves FM regularly or just like what I do with the program, I'm here to invite you to make a fully tax deductible contribution to the cause. Do this for yourself. Yes, your contribution will help support Planet Waves FM, which has been paid for so far by Planet Waves and by me personally. Making a contribution is about you. Here's why.
Supporting Chiron Return reminds you that you have the power to make the world a better place, if only in small ways. In this world, money is one of the most tangible ways you can express your influence. It feels good to do that for something you feel is noble and good; something that you know is helping the world.
If you make a donation today, you may be the very first person to do so, and at least you can say you did it on the first day we're openly inviting you to do so.
Planet Waves FM is part of the Pacifica Radio Network, which means that we pay Pacifica to help support their good work, which is how we can publish Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman each morning.
In the Democracy Now! spirit, we'll be offering a class called Investigative Reporting from the Kitchen Table later in the year, the second official project of Chiron Return (more are in the works).
Thank you for your support. Thank you for being a listener.
with love,
Marking on the front door to the new home of Planet Waves FM.
Monthly Horoscopes and Publishing Schedule Notes
Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published on Thursday, May 25. We published your extended monthly horoscopes for May on Thursday, April 20. Your Moonshine horoscopes for the Scorpio Full Moon were published on Thursday, May 11. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Thursday after the Sun has entered a new sign.
Weekly Horoscope for June 15, 2017 #1155 | By Amy Elliott
Aries (March 20-April 19) -- You may be determined that the emotional issue you're now tackling will be fixed independently of anyone's help and in short order, thank you very much. Yet, while some introspection is necessary, others in your life stand ready to offer whatever support you need; and it's likely they have something important to contribute. Open your heart and your ears, and let them in. You don't need to accept their ideas uncritically, but simply listening would almost certainly be worth your while. -- By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- Venus in your sign is lending you extra grace, which for you is saying something. You also seem to be receiving a consignment of patience and perseverance, which should support you through any changes in your social or creative life. The key to navigating these changes may be careful planning and organization. If you feel as if everything is happening at once, take some time to relax and unwind, then get back on the case. You have an opportunity to take a leap forward. The last thing you need is to stand still. -- By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.
Last Chance for Discounted Price: 2017 Gemini Birthday Reading
Trying to make a decision? Wondering what's up in a relationship? Ready to make a leap of faith in your career calling? Just need a friendly, calm voice speaking words of encouragement, strategy and sanity into your ear?
If you have a Gemini Sun or rising sign, help is on the way -- in the form of your 2017 Gemini Birthday Reading.
Eric plans to record this reading very soon (possibly tomorrow!). That means this is your last chance to score the reading at a discount -- the price will increase again when it publishes.
Like all Planet Waves 'birthday' readings, this will include two segments of astrology (at least 30 minutes each), plus a tarot reading -- including photos of the cards -- which may arrive a little after the astrology segments are ready.
You have some fascinating -- possible tricky or confrontational astrology brewing right now; pre-order your Gemini Birthday Reading and get clear on all your options.
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- Privileged information, whether insider or intuitive, can be a mixed blessing -- especially if you don't know whether to share it, or with whom. It may help to favor honesty over concealment, or to check that the facts are in good order before you speak. Regardless of what you do with what you know, your chart suggests you consider carefully your motivation. That is, make sure you use your understanding for the benefit of everyone involved, and avoid any temptation to prioritize personal gain. -- By Amy Elliott. For your Eric Francis horoscope this week, please see this link.
First Opportunity to Pre-Order: 2017 Cancer Birthday Reading
Do you have a Cancer Sun or Cancer rising sign? Your big month is just around the corner: next week, both the Sun and Mercury enter your sign -- promising to extend your awareness and presence out into your world and deeper into yourself.
As one who tends to experience life as a series of cycles, having the Sun in Cancer usually indicates an upswing for you: a time to move ahead with who you are -- even if you feel like you're only beginning to discover that, or creating it as you go. What better way to catch the energy wave of this season's astrology than by listening to your 2017 Cancer Birthday Reading?
As with all Planet Waves "birthday" readings, this will include two segments of astrology (at least 30 minutes each), plus a tarot reading -- including photos of the cards -- which may arrive a little after the astrology segments are ready.
You can lock in the absolute lowest price offered on this reading by pre-ordering now, before Eric records and publishes it. You can also pre-order it as a gift for your favorite Cancer loved one.
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