Mercury retrograde at its most productive compels originality and pushes a person to see the world from other viewpoints than normal.
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Mercury, Venus and Chiron on the Move

Dear Friend and Reader:

This week we reach turning points in Mercury retrograde, the recent Venus retrograde and Saturn square Chiron.

First, a reminder to take part in our spring reading event, INVOLUTION: The Revolution is Within. This covers how all the current astrology influences your mind, feelings and growth, reaching out to the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21.

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Fractal. Image: codewiz.org.
I'm planning to begin recording video this week, aiming for Fantasy #1, which is to have this done before Beltane. In a way similar to The Book of Your Life, your 2017 annual reading, I'll be working under Mercury retrograde conditions, which may be challenging, but it produces an excellent result.

Mercury retrograde at its most productive compels originality and pushes a person to see the world from other viewpoints than normal. This is particularly true as it's changing directions -- and especially when it's doing so conjunct one or more of the high-amperage outer planets -- in this case, the Uranus-Eris conjunction.

As Mercury retrograde wraps up one week from Wednesday, I'll also be in final preparation for my May 6 class, timed for Beltane: Astrology, Relationships and Sexuality. It may not be as much fun as Beltane sex in a forest or on the beach at dawn, but I will do my best. 

The idea of this class is to get underneath society's (and astrology's) usual (less than hopeful) ideas about sex and relating to other humans, and see how many fresh ideas come out of the chart. The zodiac has a place for everyone; this is not a matter of "one size fits all." I'll have more on that in a letter soon. You can sign up here.

First Venus; then Mercury; then a comment about the Saturn-Chiron square, exact Sunday, April 30, with the intensity focused all week.

Venus stationed direct on April 15, in a conjunction to Pisces. As of today, it's still slow and powerful, making its way across the last degrees of the zodiac. You can think of the very end regions of Pisces as a seeding area for a forthcoming Venus cycle. This is a time to listen, feel and envision the love that you want in your life. It's also a time to consider reaching out to those you care about, including people you haven't seen or heard from in a long time.

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Fractal. Image: codewiz.org.
On Friday, Venus re-enters Aries (where the retrograde began back in March), meaning that we'll have Venus conjunct the Aries Point for a few days. That's a wakeup call: to notice what's going on in collective reality around you, and in the lives of individuals close to you. This is the time to seek common ground. If you don't know how that feels, perhaps you'll have a discovery.

Next, Mercury will be making a series of exciting moves. This is the retrograde that began in Taurus two weeks ago and has now worked its way back to Aries. Thursday into Friday, Mercury reaches an exact conjunction to Uranus, tucks itself into the Uranus-Eris conjunction, and hangs out there for about five days as it stations direct. This is an unusually exciting moment of Mercury direct. 

My translation: let everyone else do all the screwing up.

Now that you know this astrology is blowing through town, you can step back, watch the fireworks, and watch people miscalculate their moves based on not knowing they're missing information. You can safely assume there's something you don't know, and you would be well-rewarded if you drag out certain discussions rather than try to push them to a head. As A Course in Miracles suggests, you will be told everything you need to know.

Last, Saturn is about to reach the peak of its square to Chiron. This has been going on for months, and technically it lasts out to November. However, the second of three squares is the most influential one, in my view.

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Fractal. Image: codewiz.org.
It would seem as if Chiron holds a key to unbolting and uncorking your feelings. This may be a case of trying to be spiritual before you've been real. Now you get a chance to get real and see all the ways in which it leads to some peace of mind.

Saturn and Chiron don't conflict. But when they're in a square pattern, you need to figure out a way to get through the boundary. It may be there for a reason, and that reason may have served its purpose.

Usually this aspect is all about authority issues and conflicts with parents. Stay out of disputes with authority figures. With Mars in Gemini, it will be unwise to argue, fight, or go blow for blow. Instead, bide your time, and gather all the information and allies that you can. Once you're fully informed, you will know exactly what to do and how to do it.

One last reminder: if you want to be in my astrology and sexuality class on Saturday May 6, or sign up for INVOLUTION: The Revolution is Within, now's the time. Save me all the extra writing letters and everyone getting emails.

Much appreciated and See You There!

with love,
eric
PS -- Now's a great time to follow my daily horoscope, which you're invited to do as part of your Planet Waves membership. Sign up here.

Planet Waves
Study astrology and sexuality from someone boldly curious and creative about the subject -- who has heard it all. Sign up today for Astrology, Relationships and Sexuality, to be held Saturday, May 6 at noon EDT, 9 am PDT, 5 pm BST.

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You may pre-order all 12 signs of INVOLUTION here, or choose your individual signs here. What we're living through today is not written about in any book. We're its pioneers in consciousness, and INVOLUTION will be your guide.
Scopes

Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for May on Thursday, April 20. Your extended monthly horoscopes for April were published on Thursday, March 23. We published your Moonshine horoscope for the Aries New Moon on Thursday, March 30. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Thursday after the Sun has entered a new sign.
Scopes

Monday Morning Horoscope for April 24, 2017 | By Eric Francis Coppolino
Aries
Aries (March 20-April 19) -- You must plan the week carefully, and be ready with Plan B. There's no way you could foresee certain events, though if you're conscious and well-prepared, you'll not only be able to handle anything; you'll be able to work certain unpredictable conditions to your advantage. If things get weird or too interesting for comfort, the thing to do is go into listening mode. You may be the one person who understands what someone in your household or circle of friends is going through, and the mere fact that you care enough to take the time and pay attention will be helpful to them. Certain factors are putting you under some pressure to speak your mind, though you must use caution and restraint. Under current conditions, you would be wise to wait a day or two before responding to anything even vaguely contentious or controversial.

Planet Waves
You can now pre-order your 2017 Taurus birthday reading by Eric. Get your unmissable guide to your solar year ahead, including Jupiter in your house of relationships. This reading also makes a perfect and lasting gift for the Taurus you love.
Taurus
Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- If you're inclined toward people-pleasing, you might take a step back and ask what you want rather than what someone else wants. This includes being cautious of trying to impress anyone or show them that you're of some value in order to get their approval. You're currently under bold influences that are guiding you to stand your ground and claim your own ideas and way of life. But you know how that can go: it's easy to get to that point where it's just less hassle to give into what someone else wants. If you find yourself negotiating for your own freedom, you would serve yourself well to ask why that is. What exactly to you need to claim, explain to others, or make a point of saying is your natural right? If you hear yourself doing that, just pause, collect your bearings and do what's right for you.

Gemini
Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- You've reached a tipping point where things must go one way or the other, and you must now ask yourself whether you're going to travel in the direction of the past or of the future. That may seem like a silly question, though at this stage, it's an entirely valid one. Certain attachments to the past may be causing you to hesitate about important and overdue life decisions. Yet you know that there's really only one way you can go, and that you've already chosen. So what's the use of wondering what to do, when you can put your plan into action? You are in fact free of certain bonds and restrictions that were holding you down, particularly on the professional front. You've spent a lot of time doing what others said was right. Now it's your turn to do what you know is right.

Cancer
Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- You may be feeling some anxiety over a deeply personal matter, one where you know something is actually at stake. Not all fears come true, though sometimes they provide the service of getting you to slow down and be more thoughtful about your own affairs. Sometimes, it's necessary to apply that same vigilance to the contents of your mind, and notice when you're thinking fearful thoughts. They tend to have roots, though what's often surprising is that they are connected to things we would never have expected. Through the week, and indeed for the next week, you'll need to take matters slowly and stay in contact with what you're feeling, and whether it's realistic. Notice whether you're feeling anger about something that happened in the past, or whether your thoughts really are about something that's happening now. Be assured of one thing: whatever is on your mind, the truth will come out, and it will be both relevant and helpful.

Leo
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- You're the one with the winning strategy, and people are counting on you for that. The world is so confusing right now, it's difficult to see a clear path forward. Yet you know that matters are not so cut and dried as people would like them to be. Your real talent is your ability to handle a bit of chaos and unpredictability, which really comes down to two things: know your planned goals and your proposed methods, then be willing to adapt and adjust to conditions as they develop. What starts off early in the week as one thing will be quite another by midweek and unrecognizable by the weekend. Therefore, your strategy must be one of constant evaluation and adaptation. Leo is said to be a 'fixed' sign, though you know you can summon flexibility, which is no doubt one of your greatest personal assets.

Virgo
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- It's time to move beyond certain narrow goals and a brittle self-concept, and accept yourself for how creative and influential you are. Remember that most of your influence comes from doing something that's getting rare these days: mastery over the facts and figures. On that note, you must use your mystical power to get a grip on the numbers before making any commitment in a contractual matter, joint financial issue or tax question. As you do this, you may start to notice that the basic data is changing, which is a sure sign you're not quite at the bottom of things. Columns of figures should add up the same way whether you start from the top or the bottom. And certain people's stories and versions of events should be consistent each time you hear them, or else something is amiss. Don't rush working this out. Put your inquiry into slow, steady mode. Give it at least a week or more.

Libra
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- This has been an emotionally sensitive few weeks for you, and you may still be feeling a little raw, uneasy or hesitant to move forward. That's understandable enough, especially with Mercury still retrograde in your partnership angle. This is making it difficult for you to discern where anyone else is coming from, and you seem to be expecting important people in your life to change their minds about something and pull the rug out from under your plans. You might make things easier by making far fewer commitments, and sticking to people who have proven themselves to be reliable in the past, in both showing up emotionally and showing up at all. Listen carefully to what people say about their motives. They will reveal little details, and you need to be paying attention. That will make it easier to determine who's interested in a real exchange, and who's interested in taking advantage of you.

Scorpio
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Matters at work may be making you wonder which way is up, who is on what side and what the whole gig is really about. Yet the thing you must do is keep your cool. That will mean, for the moment, saying as little as possible, and doing as much fact-finding as possible. You don't need to worry about final outcomes at the moment, since everything is in a constant state of transition. You can be sure that even those who claim to be the most confident are verging on clueless or unprepared for various shakeups that are coming their way. It's not your job to warn anyone or to predict the future. It is definitely your job to be working with as much information as possible, and to make no important promises whatsoever until Mercury moves in your favor about one week from now.

Sagittarius
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Saturn in your sign is providing you with an important stabilizing influence. You're also getting the message that you must make a series of structural adjustments if you want to maintain your way of life. One of the most useful methods of maintaining stability is taking the initiative on making incremental changes as you need to make them, rather than putting them off. Note that you cannot really count on the commitments or promises of others at this time, since most people around you know far less than you do, even about some of the most obvious or most personal matters they're confronting. Don't be misled, and don't worry about being a leader. Rather, lead yourself competently. Keep your headlights on, and if you find yourself in the middle of a fog, slow down, relax and aim your car down the middle of your lane.

Capricorn
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Whatever may be going on in your family or household, you run the risk of getting dragged into something that has nothing to do with you. Your people-pleasing (or daddy-pleasing) tendencies could get you into this, as could the political maneuverings of certain people who have a known reputation as operators. No matter how tempting it may be to add your two cents, stick up for someone or come to the rescue, you are not only free to step back entirely: you would be well-advised to do so. There would seem to be no halfway point here. Either you're shorn of the whole situation, or you'll be drawn all the way in. You have better things to do with your precious time and energy than play games with people who could be best described as rebels without a cause -- or perhaps without a clue.

Aquarius
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- One great benefit of being an Aquarian is your ability to apply your mind to solving a puzzle, problem or other challenge. Yet how you define the issue determines how you approach it and, therefore, whether you solve it. I suggest you put more energy into defining the problem than you put into coming up with the remedy. Once you know what you're dealing with, what to do will be plainly obvious. If you act before you correctly define the problem, you could literally spend days running in circles before you figure out you were doing just that. Therefore, slow down the whole process, and keep as wide a perspective as possible. And remember, the key to being a genius is knowing when you don't know.

Pisces
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Venus in your sign is still close to Chiron. This is making you not just sensitive to your pain and that of others, but also giving you a heightened awareness of some calling from deep inside yourself. It may feel like a cosmic longing of some kind, though the truth is this is about you, and your soul's journey. One very important thing to be mindful of is that you be grounded in your home and your work. That includes food, rest and a feeling of wellbeing, so much as you can muster it. Once you have those bases covered, it's a lot easier to be responsive to your innermost needs. You need a safe space to feel whatever it is you're feeling, and you also need space and bandwidth to be responsive to the many practical matters that are vying for your attention at the moment. If you find yourself obsessing with plans and strategy, remember that there's a larger plan, which will be revealed to you if you can relax your mind and take care of your body.



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