Planet Waves :: Your Monday Morning Horoscope

New York, July 3, 2017 | View as Webpage | Pre-order Your Midyear Reading
Celebrating 'Independence', Pluto-Style

Dear Friend and Reader:

Although this week begins with a major holiday in the U.S., the real fireworks -- astrologically speaking -- won't show up until the end of the week: the Capricorn Full Moon on Sunday, July 9. Eric has written your horoscopes below specifically about this event; on our way there, the sky will be busy.

First, a quick note about the July 4 astrology for U.S. readers. The main thing to keep in mind is that Mercury in Cancer will be square Uranus in Aries. Given that Independence Day tends to involve activities like driving, boating, drinking and fireworks -- often in crowded situations -- Mercury-Uranus emphasizes the need to stay grounded and focused, while also staying flexible enough to respond to surprises and sudden changes of thoughts or plans.

Glowing spin-toy, July 4, 2012. Photo by Amanda Painter.

We also have two 'personal' planets changing sign this week. Venus moves into Gemini later on Tuesday; and Mercury enters Leo Wednesday night into Thursday. See if you notice a shift in your mental and emotional tone, especially in social situations.

That said, the real driver of interpersonal relations looks to be this building Full Moon in one week. It's quite a chart: the Cancer Sun opposite the Moon in Capricorn, exactly one degree away from Pluto -- the god of change and power.

Mars in Cancer is in the picture (it's separating from the Sun and Pluto, but the Moon will be applying to Mars). And all four of those bodies are within range to pick up on Uranus and Eris in Aries, via square aspect.

As Eric describes it, one take on the contrast inherent in this Full Moon is between a deep sense of isolation (Moon and Pluto) and the need to connect with a feeling of kinship (Sun and planets in Cancer).

He writes, "We are terrified of loneliness, yet there are times when it's necessary, and times when we would seem to have no choice. If you seem to have no choice, consider whether being alone is what you really need."

On another level, if you've been pouring your energy into something like devotion to purpose, dharma or caring for something larger than yourself, the Full Moon is likely to deepen this, or to make it a more powerful driver in your life -- thanks to the presence of Pluto. At the same time, Pluto also indicates this would be a good time to check on your levels of honesty, ambition and ethics. Where do you need to tune things up? Where have you slipped off course?

Whatever the Full Moon brings will require acceptance on a deep level, and will leave you different (and feeling different) on the other side. This could mean enforced change in some facet of your behavior or your life's trajectory; it could also mean developing your devotion to your soul's path with concrete, tangible actions.

Like all oppositions, a Full Moon indicates the need to negotiate each side of an equation to achieve resolution. But not all oppositions involve Pluto, which raises the stakes and will likely intensify the effects. Pluto's presence also suggests that the more your ambitions are focused on serving the greater good, the more power you'll likely have at your disposal to move your life forward by making some changes. Are you willing to allow that to work through you?

Yours & truly,

Amanda Painter

Just in time for the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, you'll have access to a helpful, excellent video astrology reading. These will be done by sign and rising sign; each reading is about half an hour. You can pre-order now for the best price: $66 for all 12 signs. The price for all 12 will gradually increase in $11 increments over the next few weeks, capping out at $111 once we publish.

I've been a devoted student of eclipses since beginning astrology. Here's some of my earlier writing, published before the grand cross and total solar eclipse of Aug. 11, 1999. These few paragraphs below will give you a feeling for just how significant eclipses are. This one is one of the most important in American history, which I've covered here.

Eclipses are astrology we can't deny. If there is a conjunction between Saturn and Uranus, it's invisible, and while many people may experience changes, only astrologers and their merry bands of readers and students know what's happening. Yet when the Sun vanishes, you can be sure that normal activity will come to a stop.

Our busy world will pause, and everyone, from shepherds in the hills of Bavaria to businessmen in London, will stand in the silent shadow of the cosmic order with the astonishment of small children coursing in their hearts.

This doesn't happen often, and you can imagine the awesome power of so many people embraced in a kind of simultaneous, captive meditation as everything around them momentarily ceases to be normal. Call it a reality lapse, only it's one into which the real reality can flow very easily.

In terms of their astrological meaning, eclipses of the Sun follow this image of collective awareness and radical break of continuity. Whether you can see the eclipse does not matter; part of the miracle of astrology is it works anyway. As many of us are discovering personally, eclipses are expanded moments of often uncontrollable, unpredictable change. They also bring the civilization and its communities together, usually through important collective events and the media.

Eclipses are evolutionary gateways, which is another way of saying that when they show up, we do a lot of growing in a short time. Delays are compensated. Old accounts can be wiped clean. While each is unique, eclipses often feel like being shot through a funnel of space-time, and we emerge somewhere different than where we entered. The key to making the best use of them is to move with the energy, not cling to anything or anyone too tightly, and to stay open.

Literally, breathe, communicate, feel, love, observe and receive. Remember your intentions. The sense of panic that sometimes accompanies them yields nicely to awareness and revelation, mental conditions that are more natural than we often realize.

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.

Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes

We published your extended monthly horoscopes for July on Thursday, June 22. Your extended monthly horoscopes for June were published on Thursday, May 25. We published your Moonshine horoscope for the Scorpio Full Moon on Thursday, May 11. Please note: we normally publish the extended monthly horoscope on the first Friday after the Sun has entered a new sign.

Monday Morning Horoscope for July 3, 2017 | By Eric Francis Coppolino

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- This week builds to its peak with the July 9 Full Moon in Capricorn, the sign that for you is associated with your professional ambitions and your reputation. Potent forces are at work: among them, the Moon is conjunct the distant and soulful planet Pluto. You're approaching a turning point, beyond which it's necessary to practice this elusive thing called 'right livelihood' with full devotion. What does that mean? I would say, doing work you're willing to do for its own sake. It's time to subtract yourself from situations that are purely financially motivated, and invest yourself in the ones that feed your soul, and that are designed to make the world a better place. You might think that's not easy right now, but Pluto's usual modus operandi is to commence with something modest, which develops into something with deeper and further reach. This is your point of departure.

You can now pre-order all 12 signs of the new Midyear Reading by Eric Francis, In the Shadow of the Moon, for the introductory price of just $66. Just in time for the Great American Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, Eric will record a helpful, top-quality video reading. Get your copy today.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- From one viewpoint, the story of your life going back many years is about you seeking to understand the relationship between the religious facets of your upbringing and your true spiritual connection to yourself and to existence. Taurus always gets intense assignments; it's not a casual lifetime for anyone. If you love comfort and sensuality, it's only a meek buffer between you and the profound growth work you're called upon to do in this lifetime. This Full Moon describes you shedding part of your childhood husk. This is not your true inner child, but rather the conditioned personality level that you no longer need. Your bold, beautiful, actual inner kid is alive and well. If you feel you're losing something, notice that you're gaining awareness of something else. Your primary vehicle of growth is not psychology and it's not spirituality. It's allowing yourself to be sexually and creatively free.

Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- There's one particular region of an astrology chart that represents the deepest and often most dramatic transformations. It's called the 8th house. One enters the 8th in one form, and leaves not only in a different form but often substantially, inwardly changed. Material of the 8th house includes all that most people are the most afraid of, yet curious about, and inevitably drawn to. For example, it's where one might explore the relationship between sex and death, which extends to all concepts of creation and destruction. You're about to experience a Full Moon in this house, intensified by a conjunction to Pluto. The message is that you must be submissive to whatever you do with full intention, and to whomever you love with your body and soul. There is no going halfway, or living partially. To really be alive is to take the risk of offering yourself wholly and entirely to life.

The astrology section of the Gemini birthday reading has been recorded, and the Tarot reading will follow soon. Order here to get instant access, whether for yourself or the Gemini you love.

Astrology can help you. In the right hands, astrology can provide you with a new perspective on your life. My readings are designed to help you consider all of your possibilities, your greatest potential, and to help you see your problems in a new light. I'm about to record the Cancer reading for you. If you order now, you'll get the best pre-order price of $33. Shortly before publication, it'll be $44 and then the final price will be $55. These readings condense 22 years of my counseling experience, nonstop reflection on the human condition and lots of excellent astrology. They are in plain talk, easy to follow, and paced gently. They are some of my best work; these readings are an invention. And you can have all the benefits. I plan to do this reading very soon -- so get on board before the next two price increases. Here's how to pre-order. If you're seeking a private consultation, here's that link.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- Mysterious forces are at work in your world. You probably feel this, but have not given it a name yet. The effect may take several different forms, though behind them all is one process. It will be essential for you to navigate carefully, and take precautions to minimize the chance of mistakes. You'll very likely begin this week in one phase of your life, and by Sunday, be in another phase. Between now and then, you'll need to endure some tension, and not let it color your judgment. This will be crucial in the days late in the week leading up to the July 9 Full Moon in your opposite sign Capricorn. Take things one step at a time, and make your choices with the help of one or two trusted advisors. Do not broadcast your business. Be curious, and ask questions with the attitude of a child. Gently, the truth will unravel.

Your 2017 Cancer Birthday Reading is now available to pre-order at the earliest price. Eric intends to record this reading soon, so be sure to pre-order today before the price increases. Eric's birthday readings are accurate, friendly and long-lasting, and they make the perfect gift.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- For many weeks, you've been learning about a certain kind of devotion, where your own interests must stand entirely apart from something larger than you. We often see this in shadow form: people sucking up to power, or using work and projects to avoid intimacy. You are being drawn, as if by some invisible force, to offer yourself in seva, or selfless service. This is not altruism; it's not about 'doing good'. Rather, you're being summoned to a soul-level calling, which is only growing deeper. This is not easy. Compelling influences are not merely calling you or guiding you, but are drawing you like a tractor beam that you cannot easily escape. The real question to ask is: why would you want to? Uncovering your true spiritual nature is not a walk in the garden; it's about tending that garden, understanding that it's something equal to or greater than you.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- Your primary challenge in these strange days is to keep an open mind. This is not some abstract notion, or the willingness to try strawberry ice cream. It's about embracing the struggle to see your prejudices for what they are, and being willing to change. Not change your viewpoint. Not change your opinion. Not modify your behavior or image. Rather, actually to grow, and bring your inner being into the world, through the crusty shell of the past. Face the fact that this involves a risk, perhaps many of them. Yet to the extent that would deter you, the thing at stake is facing your fears, and admitting your vulnerability. Assuming you have fears and feel vulnerable, that's true whether you face them or not. Do you have any interest in being a smaller person than you really are? What is really at stake here?

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- If you want to succeed, temper your ambition, and focus on ethics. Focus on the integrity of your immediate community and your household. Of course, you would be doing this in a world where everyone understands why the mayor of a town would fire the ethics board. We watch people treat one another as disposable. We witness seemingly powerful people clinging to power, who are obviously an emotional mess, and who have no support at home. You get to play a different role in this lifetime, and in our times. Here's the challenge: Ethics is not just about an idea, some concept of what is right. It's about being emotionally integrated, so that you become your own friend rather than your own adversary. Ethics is about having the guts to confront your parents and other powerful people in your life. It means having the stones to confront the people who have hurt you.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- Stand to your full stature. Over and over again, your solar chart says this is about the message you send to the world: the words that you use, the ideas you convey, and your willingness to engage in an honest dialog. Your words must come from a deep place, or you must be silent. That means when you speak or write, you say what you know to be true. This is not the current fashion: what's in style is repeating unverified bullshit until it becomes this other kind of "true." You will know you're actually speaking the truth when you wrestle with your conscience; when you experience a bit of agony about what is right, and feel the impact that your words have on others, and on your whole community. People are looking to you as an example. Whether you're correct or not on any given subject, you do not have a choice in that particular matter.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- Money is too important. It has become, in our times, the meaning of life, the solution to all problems, and that which cleanses any sin. Sensitive people are getting sick of the stench. You know how much more there is to existence: you are in touch with this elusive thing called meaning. Later this week, an unusually powerful Full Moon takes place in the angle of your chart that addresses money, resources and values. You are getting the message, from both within and without, that it's time to live for what you know to be true. That means actually having a standard of veracity and of corresponding conduct. But there is more. This unusual lunation comes with a discovery, or a breakthrough: you get to a new level of self-understanding, and of commitment. And that will give you the feeling of setting yourself free to live your life, your way.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- Let others show you what you need to see. You seem to require proof; look at what they have to offer. Allow yourself to be guided out of your blind spot, which is both emotional and sensory. You want to succeed, though your current vision of success is a mirage. You need a better one, though you know that will take you through some profound changes, including giving up all the false ideas about yourself that you've been dragging around for lord knows how long. That will require vulnerability, which is not exactly your favorite pastime. Yet to come out of your shell, you must become that new thing born into the world. You cannot do this by projecting an image of yourself. You can only do it by bringing the substance of who you are into your environment, certain of one thing: you don't know what will happen.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- Beware the tyranny within. To do that, you must first see it for what it is, then stay one step ahead of your inner persecutor. The reason this takes guts is because you would need to take responsibility for how you feel. That would include understanding how you got to feel that way, which in turn will require you to actually understand what people did to you when you were younger. The inner persecutor is an installed device. One is not born with it. God or nature did not create it, like your eyes, heart or hands. To liberate yourself requires making the fine distinction between blame and responsibility. Blame is paralyzing; responsibility is the ability to respond. And this you have, if you maintain your inner awareness. That's the thing. That's the real struggle of our world right now: the fear to look within. You must be courageous.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- You seem to be having a debut of some kind, an emergence into society. This is not merely a social affair, though. There's an element of recognition, but there is more. What's going on behind the scenes is a rearrangement of your power relationship with your community. There is such a thing. There are two levels: changes in the social structure around you; and a rearrangement of your thinking that both precipitates and adapts to these changes. So, you are both cause and result. We could sum this up in two words as confidence and maturity. You need both, and would be wise to consider them both separately and in the context of one another. Cultivating self-esteem is too vague a concept to describe what you've got going on. Rather, focus on its specific components. Confidence means with fidelity. Maturity means ripening. That's enough to go by.

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